Because of You Maka
by Debomazing
Summary: Maka couldn't help but feel that Soul didn't need her now that he was a Death Scythe and when Kid decides that it's time for her to continue her journey as a weapon for another Mesiter, she can't put up much of an argument. What happens when that Meister is more than meets the eye and Soul fails to protect Maka. Can he ever earn back her trust? *WARNING*-Violence and Sexual Assault
1. Chapter 1

"It's because of you Maka, that I stopped running away", Soul's sharp teeth gleamed as he said it and Maka had never felt more torn. It was a hard road, and there were losses that would never stop tearing at her heart, but having Soul's praise soothed something in her that she couldn't describe. "I know!" Maka exclaimed. This is what they had worked so hard for, the Kishin was gone and Soul was finally a Death Scythe, but Maka couldn't shake the unease. Sure, she had helped mold Soul into a Death Scythe, but what now? Did he really need her anymore, her job as a Meister was complete, what was the point in having her around? "Then let's say it together", and with that little reassurance from Soul, everything was right with Maka's world again.

It happened slowly, the distance between Soul and Maka. Maka had been right after all, there wasn't much of a reason for her to stay with Soul and Kid had seen it the same way too. He began sending Soul on solo mssions, leaving Maka behind to continue with her studies and be a peer tutor. This had been going on for about 2 months when Maka was summoned by Kid, which still really grated on her nerves. Like they hadn't been classmates just 9 weeks ago, now he summoned her like a dog.

Maka stopped in the middle of the hallway and shook her head haard. What was she thinking? Her duty was to the DWMA, and Kid was the new Shinigami. She needed to stop thinking of him as her friend and start thinking of him as the boss. With resolve, she continued her journey through the guillotines. When she reached Kid's 'NO! Shinigami' Shinigami's new throne, she noticed another man standing next to it. She had never seen this man before. He was…average. In fact, there wasn't a single noteworthy thing about him. He was average height, average build, brown hair, brown eyes hidden behind wire glasses.

"You called?" Maka came to a stop about 10 feet from the throne.

"Yes, thank you for coming Maka" Kid lifted his head from his hand "I know that we have been underutilizing your talents of late, but the truth is that I believe you have gone as far as you can go as a Mesiter. I know that you have been working with Spirit in honing your Scythe abilities, but as you know a weapon cannot grow alone."

Maka felt her hands start to sweat in her gloves. She wasn't sure she liked where this is going, but Kid just continued.

"That being said, Soul has shown himself to be extremely effective in the field and I think it's time that your partnership come to an end. I know this is hard to hear, but you haven't been on a mission together since the moon and I am sure that your resonance has suffered for it." She felt her heart splinter. Break her partnership with Soul? Lose the resonance that she lived for? Even now she could still feel him, far away but warm. Yes, they were physically apart more than not nowadays but she could live with that as long as she still felt him in her heart and that had been enough. She couldn't imagine life with Soul, he took up more of herself than she did.

"I have already spoken with Soul and he has agreed, it's time that we help you to grow as powerful as possible and the way to do that is to work with a meister, as a weapon. I'd like you to meet Damien, he transferred here just today to work with you. He is very strong in his own right, so I hope that you will work with him and learn."

And just like that, her splintered heart shattered. Soul had already agreed to this? He wanted to end their partnership? She figured that he was just excited to e a Death Scythe and one day he would come back for her, but this…this changed everything. He didn't want to be with her anymore. She was such an idiot.

She mentally slapped herself. So what if Soul didn't want her? She was Maka Fucking Albarn, Death Scythe forger, and if he didn't want her anymore then he could go fuck himself. She concentrated on the warmth in her heart that was soul and their connection, then she started laying bricks. She built a wall so high she couldn't see the top of it. She felt the light slip from her soul, plunged her heart into despair. It felt like she had cut off a piece of herself. She refused to let it show how much this hurt. Inhaling deeply, she pasted a smile on her face and reached out her hand to Damien.

"It's great to meet you, my name is Maka"

Soul was lying in a crappy motel when he felt it, like a punch to the gut. His hand flew to his chest and fisted his shirt there. "Maka". She was gone. He went inward, raced through the halls of his soul, searched high and low but he couldn't find her anywhere. He reached for her, frantically searching, but he couldn't find anything. Panicked, he raced to the mirror, it was cracked but surely it would still work. He fogged the glass and hastily scribbled on the surface. Kid's face soon filled the mirror.

"Soul, how can I –"

"Maka! Where is she, we have to help her!"

Kid had never seen Soul lose his calm so badly "What are you talking about? She just left here, she's fine"

"Something happened to her, I know it! Her soul is gone, I can't feel it anymore, you have to go now Kid, I'm catching the next flight and I'll –"

"Soul! Chill the fuck out. Maka. Is. Fine. She's pairing with another Meister and they will need to soul resonance which means she can't resonate with you anymore. We talked about this, remember? It's the best thing for her and you know it. She can be stronger than anyone, we just have to let her. It was time."

Soul pulled his arm back and smashed his fist into the mirror. It shattered, spilling on to the already stained carpet, ending the conversation. He hated this, hated everything about it. He wanted to stay Maka's partner and if Kid hadn't spent hours explaining that he was actually holding her back by staying with her, he never would have agreed to this. He sank on to his bed and buried his face in his hands, feeling hollower than he had ever felt.

Maka dragged her bag up the last flight of stairs to her new apartment. She still wasn't quite sure why **she** was the one who had to move anyway, it wasn't like Soul was ever there. Just thinking his name hurt. She shoved her feelings aside and fumbled trying to find the right key on her ring. Just as she was about to insert the key into the lock, the door flew open. She looked up to see Damien smiling down at her.

"Maka! I'm so happy you're here! I just finished dinner. Come in, come in." With that, he reached past her and picked up her bag. He grabbed her wrist with his other hand and dragged her into the apartment. The apartment seemed nice enough. The door opened into a tiny entryway, complete with a narrow table against the wall that held a bowl for keys. Above the table was a large mirror, perfect for making sure you looked great before heading out the door. Unfortunately, Maka took a look at herself in a mirror. Man she was a mess. Her hair was frizzy, and her orange zip up hoodie had seen better days. Packing up all of her belongings and trudging halfway across town meant that her make-up was running off with sweat.

Damien paused, noticing her staring at herself. "C'mon, I'll show you your room. I hope you like it."

He continued down the hallway, opening the last door on the right. Inside was a neat twin bed with a wrought iron frame in the center of the far wall. Maka had always wanted a bed just like it with a headboard and a footboard, old and feminine at the same time. A closet made up most of the right wall and there was a dresser tucked on the left. Hidden on the same wall with the door is a desk and a chair. It was everything Maka needed, almost as if it had been created straight out of her childhood dreams. The walls were a soft lavender, perfect and unblemished and everything was in mint condition but Maka couldn't help but feel a bit empty looking at it. It was wonderful and beautiful, but it didn't feel like home.

"This is your room, if there is anything you don't like just let me know and we can change it." Damien placed her bag in the center of the room and turned around to look at her. His eyes softened as he took in her slightly lost expression. He came closer and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey. I know. It's hard right? Everything is changing. You're not alone, you know? This is all new for me too. There's no good way to say this but…the reason I'm here….what I mean is…."

He sighed, and walked to the window, staring out on to the busy street 4 stories down.

"My last weapon…she took her own life about 6 months ago. I tried going back to school but it was too hard so I came to the DWMA."

Damien inhaled and turned around.

"I guess what I'm saying maybe we could try it out together. A fresh start. What do you say?"

He held his hand out towards her. When he put it like that Maka found that she could breathe a bit easier. Things weren't so bad. This man had a harder road than she had and he still managed to keep a smile on his face, Maka supposed the least she could do was try to make this work between them. She reached not only her hand towards him but also her soul. The spark started and she realized that Kid was right, their souls were compatible and this could work.

"Yeah Damien, that sounds good. A fresh start."


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER - I don't own Soul Eater

It had been 3 weeks and Maka was frustrated. The new partners still hadn't been able to achieve soul resonance. She couldn't understand it! They got along so well, she hadn't even Maka Chopped him once! It was like he was tailor made for her, they agreed on everything, studied together and worked furiously to cement their bond but nothing worked!

It was like there was a wall between them but no matter how hard they tried they just couldn't get over it. And what was worse, Maka couldn't seem to rally at all. With every disappointment and setback, she just fell deeper and deeper into her depression. She was Maka Albarn and failure was never an option but now it just seemed like the only thing she could do.

At least she would be getting a good fight in. In an effort to jump start their resonance, Kid had agreed to let them take a mission. For the first time in a long time, Maka was nervous. Control wasn't something she liked to let go of, and transitioning to a weapon meant that she had to let go of pretty much all of it. Damien was purely a Meister so if something went wrong, Maka didn't even have the option to wield him.

The plane shuddered, throwing Maka out of her bleak thoughts. Damien put his hand over Maka's on the armrest and her eyes jumped to his. He always seemed to know when she was at her lowest and then tried his best to put her at ease. She wasn't sure how she felt about it. Being a Weapon-Meister pair meant that they had to trust each other. As much as Maka had thought that Soul would be the only one she ever trusted that way, the truth was that it was almost impossible not to trust Damien. He reminded her of the old Shinigami in a way, ever patient and optimistic. He always seemed to know exactly what she needed.

Damien spoke first "So Vlad the Impaler huh? He sounds tough. Think we'll be able to handle him?"

Maka forced a smile "Of course, just another Kishin Egg right?"

"But this is your first real fight as a weapon. I mean, yeah you were pretty adequate as a Meister, but do you think you'll be able to do it as a weapon?"

Maka hissed softly. There it was, she could feel it, rising up. Her insecurities felt like ribbon digging around her heart. Could she really do it? She didn't know all of a sudden. The ribbons kept weaving, and slowly they stopped hurting. They felt…soft. Like Velvet. She couldn't do it, she couldn't be a weapon. It was an easy decision and comforting. Maybe she shouldn't be at the DWMA at all, she finished her goal and now…now there was nothing left to do. Why was she even here?

Damien tightened his grip on her hand and grinned at her. "I'm talking crazy aren't I? Of course we can do it, because I'll be there to help." Maka returned his grip and looked out the window.

"Yeah."

Soul dispatched another Kishin easily. Fighting the Kishin made his world feel right, which was saying something because for the last 3 weeks, everything was wrong. Maka was gone from his soul but definitely not from his heart. He kept trying to tell himself that this was just temporary, all Death Scythes were working overtime to try to settle the world after madness had flooded it. Sure, the main battle was over but the ripple effects were far reaching and there weren't enough hands on deck. Death Scythes took solo missions all over the entire world, and Soul was currently securing London.

Once the world settled, Soul would be back in Death City permanently and things could go back to the way they were. He'd make Maka understand that their separation was only temporary, so that she could get stronger. He would have called her but the truth was that he didn't feel like he could tell her that over the phone. What he had to say felt too personal. Maybe he never should have let Kid talk him into this, but the idea of Maka just sitting back at the academy, helping others get stronger didn't sit right with him. She was meant to fight, born for it and he was too busy to help her with that right now.

He thought she would have reached out to his soul before taking a new partner, they would have talked in his mind and he could have told her then, shown his feelings to her where she could feel their sincerity. But she cut him off, and he hadn't been able to reach her since. He felt hollow inside and it hadn't gotten any better. He had a weekend trip planned back to Death City in a couple of weeks, he would try to talk to her then, try to make her understand. He had 3, maybe 4 months left before his mission in London would be over. She would get to fight and increase her skills as a weapon, he would finish his mission and then they could be Maka and Soul again.

The hunt was going well, they were almost on him now. Maka was in her Scythe form trying to stay present. Her anxiety was off the charts, she didn't know if she could do this. She could feel Damien's hands tighten as he swung her towards the Kishin. She came to a jarring halt as she came up against a spear. Damien swung again, and again but the Kishin was strong and seemed to know every move before it happened. Damien reached his soul out to Maka.

"We need to resonate!"

"Ok!"

"Soul Resonance!"

Maka could feel the spark start between their souls, small at first but then it increased as the souls merged. It was unusual to start, she was used to initiating the resonance, but once Damien fed her the first wave of feedback, the act of passing it back and forth was familiar. It was working! Their souls were feeding off of each other. Damien's soul was so strong, stronger than Maka had thought that it was. It was overwhelming. Damien swung hard and Maka felt herself sink into the shoulder of the Kishin, then he pulled and she could feel herself grating against bone.

She could feel Damien's joy. It was unbridled and reckless and infectious. Maka felt herself being pulled into it. His joy wasn't warm, it was sharp and jagged, Maka hadn't ever felt anything like it. She felt it building in her, and started to giggle. Look at how much power they had, the power to make things bleed, the power to kill. She bathed in it, feeling it seep into her blood and lost herself to it. The resonance stretched and snapped, shattering the bond. Maka fell from Damien's hands and clattered to the stone street, leaving him wide open.

The Kishin raised his spear and started to thrust down. Maka was frozen, Soul's words flashed across her mind. _A weapon always protects their Meister._ And with that, Maka flashed into action. She transformed back to human and dove in front of Damien. The spear pierced her right shoulder straight through and out the other side. The pain was excruciating, but so was the satisfaction. Maka's left arm, still in scythe form, was straight through the Kishin's heart. He burst apart into blackness, revealing his red Kishin soul.

Maka fell to her knees, spear still firmly lodged. She did it. She protected her Meister. Why was everything so dark?

Damien watched Maka fall sideways into unconsciousness and stood up easily. He brushed off his knees and looked down at his partner. Gripping the spear with both hands, he braced his right foot in the center of Maka's chest and pulled. The spear came out with a harsh suctioning sound and Maka's blood spilled red into the street. He tossed it to the side and nudged Maka in the ribs with his boot.

' _Damn, now the DWMA is going to be monitoring her injury, and I'll have to wait another month before pushing her further into the madness'_

He slung Maka up over his shoulder and headed towards their rental car.

"Dumb bitch"


	3. Chapter 3

Maka was fucking sick and tired of this damn bed. There was only so much she could see out the window of the clinic in the DWMA, but what she could see was sunny and cheerful, and it made her sick. The only good news was that she was being discharged today. Damien had been there everyday and as nice as he was being, it just depressed her. It reminded her of Soul.

She can't believe that he hadn't even called. Sure, the wound wasn't fatal but it was damn near close and she'd have the scar for the rest of her life. As it stood, it was mostly healed on the outside but like most bad injuries, it wasn't the outside that really mattered. The spear had severed the majority of the tendons in her right shoulder, her dominant arm. Magic had helped with the healing process and when you combined that with Stein's artificial ligaments, Maka's recovery was nothing short of miraculous. That didn't mean it was perfect though.

It had been Stein who broke the news to her, he was the best at remaining unemotional. While they were able to rebuild the shoulder, she would never have the full rotation that she used to. 75% mobility is what he said, amazing considering the extent of her injury and the rebuild that was necessary but the truth that Maka couldn't help but face was that she would be just a little bit broken for the rest of her life. The sun grinned at her, blood between his teeth as a tear slipped down her cheek.

Soul strode into the DWMA in a terrible mood. His flight had landed about an hour and a half ago and he rushed as fast as he could back home to see Maka, but when he got to the apartment she wasn't there. He raced to her room but when he opened the door the room was bare. He asked Blair where she had gone but apparently Blair hadn't even noticed she'd left. The tight feeling in his chest just kept getting worse.

Soul was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even hear his name being called, it wasn't until BlackStar grabbed him by both shoulders that it occurred to him to stop.

"Hey Soul! Wow man, I forgot you existed, you've been gone for so long. Betcha didn't forget about me though, how could you? Whatcha been –"

"Where's Maka?"

BlackStar stopped altogether, which was terribly unusual for him. That only made it all the more unnerving.

"What do you mean?"

"Maka. She obviously doesn't live with me anymore so I'm asking, where does she live?"

BlackStar was starting to feel very uncomfortable.

"Uh, well. You know, Weapons and Meisters live together so she lives with Damien now."

Soul felt his teeth grinding together. Damien? So it was a guy then. She shouldn't be living with a guy she had just met, she should be living with him. His hands clenched tight, drawing BlackStars attention.

"Whoa man, no need to get angry, its just policy, you know, for protection and shit. Plus, your partnership is over anyway, I don't know why you're so mad."

"It's **not** over"

"Dude, it's pretty over"

Soul grabbed BlackStar by the front of his vest and hauled him closer

"How could you say it's over?! It's me and Maka, it'll never be over!"

BlackStar's temper spiked and he punched the side of Soul's elbow, forcing him to release him.

"Hello! Didn't you talk to Kid and decide to end it before even talking to Maka about it? Sounds pretty damn well over to me."

Soul flinched back and ran a hand through his hair. Of course he remembered that, he just regretted every single second of it.

"I didn't mean it like that. I just thought it'd be like, I don't know, a break or something. We'd always go back to being partners again."

Even though Soul was his best friend, BlackStar had always had a soft spot for Maka, and the truth was that Soul had been a pretty shitty friend all around the last few months. He never checked in, never called anyone and just couldn't really see beyond his damn mission.

"When Soul?! When would you be back? Who the fuck knew that? You fucking left man, you left us and you left Maka and you're not even fucking sorry about it. It's the twenty first century bro and you couldn't pick up a phone more than once a month?! Of course she moved out! What did you think she'd do when you decided she needed a new partner? That she'd wait for you forever?! Naw man, we all stopped waiting and the worst part is that you don't even know where she is right now."

BlackStar shoved Soul straight into a wall and Soul was so dazed that he just let him. BlackStar leaned in real close and almost whispered his parting words.

"She's in the infirmary, she's been there for 13 days. She almost died and where the fuck where you?"

BlackStar shoved Soul one last time for good measure and walked down the hallway. Soul slid down the wall to his knees. His heart was beating so fast and he couldn't stop the breath from escaping his body.

Maka? Almost died?

He climbed to his feet and started running to the infirmary. He slid around the corners and almost took out some first years but he didn't care. He had to see her, had to make sure she was ok.

He burst through the door to the infirmary and there she was. She had lost weight. He didn't think that was possible with how small she already was. He took all of her in. She was paler than he remembered, two dark smudges rested underneath her gorgeous green eyes, eyes that were currently staring into his.

"Soul?"

Soul's mouth was too dry, he couldn't get out a word. He didn't realize, how could he have, just how empty he was until this moment. He hadn't known just how much he missed her, how beautiful she was, how much he had needed her. He reached out for her soul, she had to know what he was feeling right now, but no matter how far he reached all he could feel was…nothing. That's right. They didn't have a soul connection anymore. He'd fucked it all up.

"So this is Soul, huh?"

The voice came from behind him, deep and soft. He whirled around and took in the newcomer, stopping at his eyes. His eyes weren't right, they weren't evil or mad like Asura's, they were just…dead. Soul was shocked out of his thoughts when the guy held out his hand and smiled coldly.

"I'm Damien, it's nice to finally meet Maka's ex"


	4. Chapter 4

Maka couldn't begin to process this situation. She had been waiting for this day for two long weeks, it was finally time to go home. When the door opened, she assumed that it was Damien here to take her home, but then the unthinkable happened. Soul was there. He looked the exact same as she remembered, the only sign of time passing being the extra inch or two to his height. She guessed his last growth spurt was finally happening. Her eyes stung and her chest tightened. She had been doing a good job at keeping Soul and his betrayal from her mind, but now it was here, staring her in the face. Damien held his hand out towards Soul for a few seconds before finally dropping it. A smile curled Damien's lips as he shook his head.

"Not feeling friendly? I get it, I wouldn't be either."

Damien's attention shifted to Maka and he crossed the room towards her.

"Hey you. How's my girl today?"

He reached his hand out to touch her hair but before he made contact, Soul gripped his wrist. Soul bared his pointed teeth with a slight growl before throwing Damien's arm away.

"She's not your girl."

At just that moment Jasmine, the new nurse at the DWMA, walked in with a clipboard to clear Maka for departure. She stopped in the doorway and glanced from one man to the other. She adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat before speaking.

"I'm sorry for the interruption. Maka, I need to do the last check-up so that you can go. Gentlemen, I'll need you to have a seat over there."

Soul and Damien didn't move, they just kept staring at each other and it just irritated Maka. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed closest to Jasmine and snapped at them.

"Oh for heaven's sake, sit down or get out."

Damien's lips twitched at Maka's surliness.

"Yes Ma'am"

He tossed a wink at her before crossing to the other side of the room and settling himself in a plastic chair. Soul's hands clenched at his side, but he moved all the same.

"Okay, Maka. Let's take a look at the injury site one last time."

Jamsine pulled a pair of purple gloves from the container on the wall and stretched them over her small hands. Maka unzipped her hoodie, peeling it down her arms. Underneath, she wore a tank top but Soul barely noticed. His eyes were glued to the angry looking scar that now dominated her right shoulder. He wasn't quite sure what type of weapon left that scar, something with a point, that's for sure. The scar wasn't exactly linear, but it certainly wasn't round the way a projectile wound would be. It must have been a sword or a spear of some kind, something almost javelin like. It had a straight line vertically, about 7 inches long, but there was a horizontal marking that was jagged and messy. Whatever impaled her was not removed cleanly, but rather looked like it had been twisted and ripped from her skin.

Soul felt his gut clench the more he looked at it. Jasmine was saying things but Soul was too shocked to hear her. He couldn't imagine how Maka survived that wound, he couldn't imagine anyone surviving it. How did this happen? It never should have gotten to this point. He should have been there. On the heels of that thought, the sinking feeling started in his chest. He thought he had had it all figured out. He would finish his mission, cementing his place as a Death Scythe and in the meantime, Maka could train as a weapon. It was supposed to all work out in the end, he had had a plan, but as he took in the man sitting next to him and the angry pink lines on Maka's shoulder, he was starting to realize that his plan was worth shit.

In all the hard times, Soul had never once felt lost. Even when the black blood had him, even when they faced Asura, he was still optimistic. Now he knew why he had always felt like everything would work out, it was because he had Maka. He dropped his gaze to the cracked tile below his feet and let his head fall into his hands. He had no direction, no plan.

The sound of Maka's gasp of pain tore him away from his thoughts and he snapped his head towards her. She had her left hand on her right shoulder as she rotated it. Jasmine placed her hand on Maka's right elbow, lowering it to her side as she spoke.

"Take it easy Maka. I know that it's hard, but you don't have the movement you used to."

Maka stood up from the bed and started pulling the hoodie back into place, looking frustrated.

"I've been doing the PT Stein suggested, it should be getting better."

Jasmine closed Maka's chart and looked her directly in the eyes to make sure she was listening.

"And it is getting better. But it will only get so much better. Your mobility will be compromised for the rest of your life. There will come a time that pushing too hard will just result in aggravating the new ligaments, maybe even tearing them again. If you tear them again, there is no guarantee that we could even get you back the mobility that you have now."

Maka took a sharp breath and turned her back on the room, facing the window. Her eyes stung as she was once again reminded of her limitations. Jasmine placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It will get easier Maka. For today, you are good to go. Remember to come back next week for your final follow up. You should be fine to start training again at full strength too."

Jasmine nodded at Soul and Damien on her way out. Damien rose out of his chair and grasped the handle of the suitcase next to the bed. Hefting the weight easily, he pitched his voice low, trying to sound reassuring.

"I'll take this out to the car Maka, then I'll come back and we can go home."

As Damien left the room, he couldn't help but feel satisfied. He had been looking at this situation all-wrong. He shouldn't be angry that she had gotten injured; this could be the best thing to happen. A sound soul dwells in a sound body and a sound mind. Her body would never be 100% sound again. Soul had been absent for her entire recovery, not calling once and now he shows up out of the blue? Damien wasn't quite sure what would happen between Soul and Maka as he left them alone, but he knew that it couldn't be good for her 'sound mind'.


	5. Chapter 5

It was awkward. Maka still had her back to Soul, she wasn't trying her best to get herself under control and he hadn't said anything yet. When she heard the soft click of the door shutting, she whirled around thinking he had left. Instead, she saw him standing in front of the closed door staring at her. His red eyes still cut straight to her heart and she had to straighten her spine against the feelings coursing through her.

"We need to talk."

Soul took a step towards her and she folded her arms across her chest.

"I don't think we do."

Soul dragged a hand through his spiky hair and it bounced back easily.

"Maka, about us-"

She cut him off with a harsh laugh.

"Us? There is no 'us'. You made that perfectly clear when you talked to Kid behind my back."

"It was supposed to be temporary-"

"Bullshit! You know Soul, we were supposed to be partners, equals. Partners make decisions together! We used to…we used to make decisions together."

Make spun back to the window as she felt a tear slip down her cheek, but not fast enough that Soul didn't catch it. His heart sank to his stomach and for a minute, he didn't know what to say. She was right, he had made the decision and even though he thought what he was doing was right, he had never been more wrong. He took another step towards her.

"I made a mistake-"

"No Soul"

She whirled around and this time, the tears were gone. He couldn't tell what she was thinking now with her neutral mask in place and he didn't like the feeling at all. He had always been able to tell what she was thinking.

"Even if it was a mistake, it's too late now."

Soul was closer now, only two feet separated them.

"It's never too late for us"

She raised her hand to stop him.

"Even if it was a mistake, I'm not a Meister anymore. I'll never have full rotation in my shoulder again which means that I'm worthless as a Scythe Meister. It's too late for us Soul. We'll never be a weapon and Meister pair again."

And just like that, Soul's world fell away. He couldn't imagine a time when he'd never be able to pair up with Maka again but here it was.

"How did this happen?"

He whispered it, but Maka heard him all the same. She shrugged.

"A weapon always protects her Meister. You taught me that."

Soul winced at that, but it was all the push he needed. He closed the distance between them and buried his right hand in her hair, which was uncharacteristically loose. He swept his thumb across her cheekbone and caught her eyes with his.

"I wasn't protecting my Meister. I was protecting you."

Maka wrapped her hand around his wrist and leaned into his caress. She closed her eyes and grieved. She grieved for the loss of her life as a Meister, the loss of the future she always thought she would have, but most of all she grieved for the loss of this. The closeness that she used to share with her best friend, with the man that she loved, that she still loved but she wasn't the same girl who could love and expect nothing in return. The truth was that she had lost everything that made her Maka and she didn't have anything left to give Soul anymore.

"Well, that's not your job anymore."

She slowly lowered his hand from her face and let his wrist slip through her fingers as she spoke. She stepped around him and crossed to the door. She hesitated with her hand on the door handle and rested her forehead against the cool wood.

"Stay safe in London Soul."

And then before she could talk herself out of it, she opened the door and left. All Soul could do was watch.


	6. Chapter 6

"I'll meet you at the car"

Maka blew past Damien with those words, her eyes suspiciously wet. He could feel the satisfaction curling through his gut. He had to put the nail in the coffin though, and that started with Soul. Damien stepped into the hospital room to survey the damage. Soul was standing in the center of the room, and didn't even seem to notice Damien's entrance until he pitched a low whistle his way.

"Wow man. Are you okay?"

Soul snapped his red gaze up to Damien

"Mind your own fucking business."

Damien held up his hands, and tried his best to look contrite.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit a nerve. I just know Maka, it's been a real rough few weeks for her. She's strong though, she'll make it through and then her and I can get back to doing what we do best. Kickin' ass and taking names. Don't worry, I'll keep a real good eye on her."

Soul grabbed a fist full of Damien's collar and pulled him close.

"You should have been keeping an eye on her in the first place. This shouldn't have happened asshole. That girl is worth a thousand of you."

Damien calmly removed Souls hand from his shirt and grinned. His glasses flashed as he leaned close.

"Sometimes these things can't be helped. A weapon always protects their Meister, even though you seem to have forgotten that."

Soul's fist shot out for a right hook but Damien dodged it effortlessly. He laughed on his way out the door.

"You better get back to London Soul, I hear there have been 4 civilian causalities in your absence. Don't want the city to fall now do we?"

By the time they made it home, Maka was truly and thoroughly wrung out. She laid out in her twin bed with her eyes dry and shoulder aching. She felt as though she had cried more in the last three weeks than she had cried in her entire life. She didn't know if she had any tears left, but then she thought of Soul and her eyes welled again. She didn't know if she had done the right thing. She was so angry with him, and she was so heartbroken, but she still loved him. She wished that time would go in the other direction, so that she could be close to him once more. She thought that they would always be together, maybe one day she would gather the courage to tell him just how much she loved him, and he would love her back.

She couldn't understand how all of this happened. Sure, she could draw up a timeline. Kid invited her to talk, she found out that Soul had betrayed her, she teamed up with Damien, got stabbed in the shoulder and learned she would never be a Meister. When you put it like that, it all sounded so logical, but what she couldn't figure out is why this all happened.

' _Because Soul didn't want you. He never wanted you the way you wanted him. You were just a means to an end for him, the strongest Meister he could hitch his wagon to'_ Maka had no idea where that thought came from, but the more she thought about it, the more right it sounded. He used her. He wanted to be a Death Scythe and she was an easy mark. Now that he achieved his goal, he had no use for her anymore. He hadn't even come to see her while she laid in the hospital, and when he did come he had been surprised she was hurt. He didn't even care enough to keep tabs on her.

' _He doesn't care about you and he never will.'_ The thought slid across her mind, taking root and burrowing deep. She imagined Soul laughing at her pitiful state, the laugh starting soft in her soul and then growing louder, louder until the laughing was all she could hear. Her hands dug in her hair and she squeezed her eyes shut tight to try to block it out. It started oppressive, but the more she listened to it, the nicer it sounded.

Soul didn't care about her. So what? She didn't even know why she was so sad. Why shouldn't she laugh about it? It was kind of funny. She was head over heels in love with a man who didn't want her. She was so fucking pathetic. The one thing that made her valuable to him was gone now. She could never be his Meister anymore, so what use was she? No use. Useless Maka Albarn. Damn, this was so fucking funny. And now she was laughing, and she just couldn't stop.

Damien heard the giggling coming from Maka's room and smiled. Before she had moved in, he had planted the Seed of Madness he'd gotten from Maggie inside the wall behind Maka's bed. The first cracks in Maka's sound body and sound mind had formed, and the madness was taking root nicely. Luckily, Maka had an anti-madness wavelength that would hide it from everyone until it was too late, well everyone except for someone she was resonating with. Yes, the madness was leaking into the cracks in her armor, now all he had to do was widen those cracks a little further. And he knew just how to do it.


	7. Chapter 7

As if Soul's mood could be any worse, he had just had his ass handed to him by Kid. Sure, he didn't exactly have permission to leave London but as far as he was concerned he was just taking his weekend of leave a little early. Apparently the asswipe that Maka now called a partner was right and the Kishin were running crazy over London. Soul didn't have any choice but to return immediately. He hated leaving like this, but he couldn't imagine another conversation with Maka going any better at this point in time. He'd just have to try again when he was in town next. He swore to himself that this wasn't over.

Training had resumed but Damien could tell that the others were starting to suspect something was off with Maka. He was going to have to up his timetable and that presented its own unique set of challenges. Maka's mind was starting to deteriorate right on track, but outward appearances were suffering. Her test scores were declining, her outfits and hair were sloppy at best and she hadn't Maka-chopped anyone in the two weeks since she left the hospital. He had managed to stave off some of the inquiries from Tsubaki and BlackStar by telling them that she was just so shaken from Soul's visit, but that wouldn't last much longer. Luckily, spring break just started and it was the perfect time to get this show moving.

His old weapon, Mei, hadn't survived the next step but that's why Damien needed Maka. She was the strongest candidate around, the ender of madness in the modern age. The irony wasn't lost on Damien that she would be the next Kishin to unleash madness into the world again, replacing Asura. But first, he had to get her to Maggie and that certainly wasn't going to happen in Death City.

Maka heard the knock on her door two seconds before it opened. She already knew who it was though, Damien was the only person she ever talked to anymore. She didn't turn to look at him, instead deciding to keep her gaze on the street below. She couldn't understand the people below her. They all seemed to be going places, they all seemed to have purpose. She was having trouble remembering what that was like. Everyday she woke up, went to school, trained with Damien, but she only did it because it was expected. She no longer looked forward to seeing her friends, they didn't even feel like her friends anymore but she didn't think that was because of anything that they did.

She felt like it was maybe her. She knew she was changing, but she just couldn't bring herself to care for some reason. Thoughts of her old life consumed her. She was constantly remembering the best of times, hanging out with her friends and with each memory it was like more of her disappeared. She had thought about trying to make new memories but everytime she thought of her friends, her heart constricted with sadness. BlackStar and Tsubaki were only here for a couple of days at a time between missions, Crona was of course gone, Patty and Li were too busy being personal weapons of the new Shinigami. And Soul. Soul had left again. She hadn't heard from him since the hospital. Even though she knew it was over before, this somehow felt a thousand times worse.

Maybe it was because she felt like she carried some of the blame now. She felt betrayed and hurt and she pushed him away. Sure, he broke off their partnership and she didn't know that she could forgive that. On the other hand, she hadn't really tried now had she? The only person she had now was Damien. He was the only reason she did anything anymore, her reason to keep going. He made sure she ate, attended classes, he was quickly becoming the most important part of her life.

"Heya lady. How are you feeling today?"

Maka placed her hand against the warm glass of the window.

"Fine. What's up Damien? Is it time for dinner?"

"Soon. I wanted to talk with you for a second. Come sit with me?"

She turned her head to see him sitting on the foot of her bed. He patted the space next to him with a reassuring smile. She got up, noticing the ache in her bones from sitting for so long. It was a Saturday, which meant no school. She had spent the entire day sitting in that chair in front of the window and now she didn't even know what time it was. She settled next to him, feeling his warmth. He leaned into her a little bit, bumping her shoulder with his before straightening and speaking.

"I know things have been hard for you since getting out of the hospital. Spring break started yesterday and I was thinking that maybe we should take a bit of a break. My mom has a cabin in Utah and we could just go and chill. Take some time away from the DWMA, go swimming in the lake, ride 4-wheelers, it would be fun. What do you say?"

Maka thought it over. It sounded exhausted, leaving, but at the same time she would be stupid to not admit that something was wrong with her. Maybe some time away would be just what she needed. Meet some new people, go to some new places. She remembered the first day that she met Damien, when she took his hand and agreed to a new start. She missed the old Maka, and she wanted her back. She thought about swimming, traveling, and for the first time in weeks, she elt like something could make her happy. She forced a smile and looked into Damien's eyes.

"Yeah. You know, I think that sounds fun."

Damien threw his arm around Maka's shoulders and squeezed her to his side.

"Awesome! You won't regret this Maka, I promise. We are going to have a great time. C'mon, start packing your bags, we'll leave first thing in the morning."

Damien stood up and made his way to the door, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket on the way.

"I'll text my mom right now to let her know that we are coming. Dinner will be ready in 10!"

Damien shut the door behind him, still texting. The thing was, he wasn't texting his mother, he was texting Maggie.

'We'll be there tomorrow around noon. Be ready.'

He ran his tongue across his teeth. Once Maggie infected Maka, her sweetness would be all his.


	8. Chapter 8

Maka stopped keeping track of what road they were on about an hour ago. Looking out her window, all she could see was wilderness. She supposed that most people found all this nothingness soothing but for some reason the only thing she felt was oppression. Their cell phones stopped working a while ago and currently it was just her, Damien, mountains and forests. There was something in her that was screaming how wrong all of this was.

Before she could investigate that feeling, the trees parted and a beautiful cabin came into view. It was two stories, with a wrap around porch and green shutters. Off to the right in the distance she could see an old, dilapidated barn. Damien pulled the car just to the left of the cabin and turned off the engine.

"Well, what do you think of my family's place?"

Maka summoned as convincing a smile as she could.

"It looks lovely Damien."

Damien got out of the car and walked around to open Maka's door. After getting their bags, they made their way around the side of the house towards the front door. As they were walking up the front stairs, Maka felt it. A witch just dropped her shield and her soul, almost overwhelming in its size slammed into Maka. She gasped and dropped her bag, spinning to scan the woods.

"Maka, what's wrong?"

"A witch"

Damien laughed.

"I know."

Maka whirled around just in time to see the front door of the cabin open. A woman in a long black dress, with the most outrageously plunging neckline that Maka had ever seen stood in the doorway. She ran a perfectly manicured, blood red fingernail down Damien's chest.

"Damien darling, look what you've brought me."

Then she looked directly into Maka's eyes.

"Sleep"

Maka came awake in stages. She heard voices but she couldn't make out what they were saying. The deeper voice sounded familiar, but it was the sultry voice that scared her. The voice purred, rolled and spun silk around her, almost cocooning her in its deliciousness. On one hand it felt soothing, but there was still that sharp barb of warning in the back of her mind.

Feeling came next, her fingers felt tingly, as did her feet. Finally, awareness was back and her eyes flew open. She was tied to a wooden chair, wrists bound to the arms and her feet bound to the back legs, pulling her knees apart and her ass to the edge of the chair. The decrepit wooden walls had various rusted tools attached to them and the roof had multiple holes with entire beams cracked and missing. It was obvious that they were in a very old barn, and with that thought memories returned. She was in the middle of nowhere, at Damien's family's cabin. No, not at the cabin, in the dilapidated barn out back. And there was a witch!

The witch stepped into Maka's line of vision and she was able to take in her full appearance this time. Her skin was alabaster, with no blemishes, her red lips and green eyes stood out. She was short, and curvy. The black dress she wore bared the mounds of her breasts, just covering the nipples and outsides but leaving the center down to just under her belly button uncovered and hugged her generous hips. Everything about this woman screamed sex and allure, except for two glaring features. Her pupils were horizontal slits, and if that didn't tip you off that she wasn't human, the large curling horns appearing out of her long straight, black hair certainly did. It was very obvious that this witch in particular favored a Ram. Unusual for a female witch. It was not, however, surprising that this witch would be able to strike a pact with such a masculine animal given her power. Even from where Maka was sitting, she could feel it, pushing against her skin. This woman was extremely powerful, somewhere between Aracnae and Medusa, maybe even more powerful depending on what she was holding back currently.

Damien came up behind her, running his hand down the center of her chest and slowly licking up the side of her neck. Once his hand reached the apex of her thighs, he left it there, resting just over the fabric, clearly staking his claim and showing who was in charge. He lifted his head out of the crook of her neck and stared into Maka's eyes.

"Maka, I'd like you to meet the lovely Maggie. It's been so long since we have been together, you'll have to forgive me. I can't seem to keep my hands off of her. Don't be jealous though, I still have room for you."

Maka chose to keep her mouth shut. She was too busy trying to fight down the panic inside of her. They were hundreds of miles away from civilization, and nobody expected her back for another 5 days. She instead tried to concentrate on changing her arm into a Scythe to cut through her bonds.

Maggie started laughing as she pressed her own hand against Damien's over her pussy and pressed hard, grinding her hips upwards.

"She's trying to transform, to escape."

Damien obliged Maggie, dragging her dress up around her hips and baring her heated skin to the cool air. As always, Maggie wore no panties. Damien dipped two fingers into her wetness and then brought them upwards to circle her clit slowly. Her stance widened and her head fell backwards onto his shoulder. His other hand ran upwards, dipping into the center of her dress and pulling out her right tit. He rolled her nipple between his index finger and thumb eliciting a low moan from Maggie.

For some reason Maka felt heat start to pool in her own belly, even though her mind recoiled from the sight in front of her. Damien never broke eye contact with her and she couldn't look away.

"You can try all you like darling. Maggie has a pretty good hold on that body of yours at the moment. For the last couple of months there has been a madness charm in your bedroom wall, slowly chipping away at your defenses, opening a small crack in your mind. It's large enough for Maggie to connect with you though, and at least control some parts of you, like your ability to turn into a weapon. There are some side effects however. You see, you're connected to Maggie too, so I imagine you might be having a better time than you're letting on."

Damien sank two fingers deep into Maggie's cunt and Maka jerked. She could feel her pleasure and her pussy flooded against her will. Bile inched its way up her throat as her mind tried to push against the feelings.

"Can you transfer your soul yet?"

Maggie licked her lips before answering Damien.

"No, her will is still too strong. She fights me even now."

"Too bad. I was hoping to spare some of the unpleasantness."

Damien pulled his fingers out of Maggie and brought them to her mouth. She dutifully licked them clean. He disentangled himself from her and crossed over to a table to pick up a large jug of water and a cloth.

"Tip her over."

Maggie crossed over to Maka and she began to struggle in earnest. Maka tried to head butt Maggie when she got close, but that only earned her a sharp backhand and a tsking sound. Maggie placed her hand in the center of Maka's chest and pushed, causing the chair to fall over backwards. Her head connected with the dirt floor, flooding her vision with stars.

"You know Maka, you are just too sweet for your own good. The way your eyes filled with tears when I told you of my former weapon's suicide was so precious."

Damien crouched down next to Maka's head, but her eyes were closed trying to regain her senses. He grew impatient and slapped her twice, making her gasp and her eyes shot open to meet his.

"She didn't kill herself you know, she just wasn't strong enough to survive what happens next."

He placed the cloth over Maka's face and started pouring the water.


	9. Chapter 9

Maka had no idea how many days had passed and the truth was at this point, she didn't much care. Waterboarding took up part of her past, how much of it she didn't know, knives took up the rest. She went to a different place then, a place where time didn't exist, where she didn't exist, the only thing that existed was air, and then the lack of it. At first she tried to hold on. She thought about the greater good, and when that stopped working, she thought about her friends. She thought about Tsubaki crying if she gave in and died. She thought about BlackStar combing the Earth for Damien and killing anything that got in his way. She even thought about Kid, Liz and Patty and how they might finally leave that dais room if they ever found out what happened to her.

But then, that didn't matter anymore either. And so she thought about Soul. She loved him, loved him so much. Even though he left her, she thought he would be sad to know that she was gone. She tried to reach for his soul, but felt nothing. The wall that she built held strong and when she got to it in her soul, she found Maggie there, leaning casually against it.

"I have to thank you Maka. We originally thought we would have to carefully sever your connection with Soul unbeknownst to him but lookie here. You already did that for us. It's quite good, you know, this block. You didn't just cut your soul connection, you actually built this fortified wall to prevent it from ever being reconnected. It's almost as good as something I could have done. You won't mind if I reinforce it though, would you?"

Maka tried to reach her, to stop her but the water was too strong, her lungs ached for air. Her throat ached from coughing, and she was having trouble thinking. Maggie placed her hands on the brick wall and a black tar substance began to grow outwards. Soon it covered the entirety of the wall, sealing it tight. Job complete, Maggie sauntered over to where Maka laid in fetal position in the center of her soul. The room had shrank, what started out as a mansion taking up most of Maka's soul was now reduced to this single room with the black tar wall dominating most of it. The floor was dirt and the rest was oblivion.

Maggie reached downwards and curled her right hand around Maka's throat, applying firm pressure. Maka weakly scraped at the hand with her nails, but it wasn't enough. Maggie pulled her close and licked the seam of Maka's mouth before whispering

"Come to me. Feel how good it can be, to give yourself to the madness. This can all be over, all the pain will go away and the pleasure will be so very good."

Maka was tired and she could feel the madness welling up from inside of herself. Why should she fight? No one needed her anymore. Soul left, why shouldn't she give up? Why should she have to suffer like this anymore? She suddenly realized she was laughing. What was wrong with her? It was like she was watching herself from above, unable to control any of it anymore.

"Now that wasn't so hard, now was it? Be a good girl, and stay there."

Maka looked down at herself and she was suddenly back in her body. Her wrists were chained together above her, her ankles manacled shoulder width apart. She tried to look down at them, but her forehead was strapped to the wall as well with a steel bar. Maggie came close and trailed her hand down Maka's chest.

"You're body isn't nearly as attractive as mine, but I am sure that Damien and I will be able to find **some** use for it. Thanks for flesh, dearest."

Maggie turned around and walked straight through the wall. The wall shimmered, turning into a viewing surface and that's when Maka realized what had just happened. She forgot she was in her soul when she gave in and now she was trapped there. She could see everything her body saw, feel everything her body felt, but Maggie was in the driver's seat now. She pulled against her bonds, but they didn't budge an inch and for the first time since the torture began, Maka opened her mouth and screamed. A hand slapped over her mouth and another Maka walked into her line of vision. This one sported an unnaturally wide grin, and her eyes sparkled. Maka had seen this version of herself before and knew immediately who she was, she was Madness and she was filled with black blood. It was stronger than Maka had ever seen.

Madness whispered in Maka's ear "Screaming doesn't do you any good, you should laugh instead. Free! I'm finally free! Isn't this fun?" Then laughter peeled out of Madness' mouth and she skipped through the same wall Maggie had used.

And Maka knew she had lost.

Damien waited patiently for Maka to open her eyes. She had lasted longer than he had thought she would. Even he was exhausted after 74 hours of torturing her. Whenever he slept, Maggie would enter her mind and start the mental assault. He only hoped it had worked. Maggie assured him before she went in to Maka's mind about 10 minutes ago that it had drastically deteriorated and the blood that soaked the dirt beneath his feet certainly confirmed that her body was no where near sound either.

His train of thought was broken when Maka drew in a deep breath. The cuts all over her body began to heal, the knife imbedded in her thigh pushed itself out, her dark purple bruises faded and her fingernails began to grow back. He had been very careful to cause maximum pain with only superficial wounds that could be easily healed. Most of what they had done involved sleep deprivation, and water boarding. This level of healing only meant one thing. Magic. Her eyes snapped open and made contact with Damien's gaze.

"Hello lover."

Damien held out his hand and helped Maka to her feet. Her hand snaked down, gripped his rapidly hardening shaft and squeezed. She rose on to her tiptoes and whispered in his ear.

"Her body is ours. Want to break it in?"


	10. Chapter 10

Maka could see Damien hovering over her, feel his hands on her body but could do nothing to stop it. He'd stripped her naked and she'd heard herself moan ' _No! I wasn't moaning. Not me. Maggie.'_ The truth was she was having trouble telling the difference between herself and her body. She didn't want this. Laughter continued to fill her ears. Madness had returned shortly after this had all started and Maka had whiplash trying to keep up with her emotions.

"Can you believe these fuckers Maka? It isn't fair! IT'S NOT FAIR!"

Madness was yelling into Maka's ear now, pressing the length of her body against Maka's. Maka couldn't even recoil, that's how tightly she was chained. She fought the chains for a while, but none of it had mattered. Madness flopped back against the wall, sliding down and bringing her knees to her chest.

"Here I thought Damien was our friend. What a fucking dick."

Then the laughter started again.

"Do you feel that though? Mmmm. You have to admit that feels real damn good. That man has some skills with his tongue. And with all the dinners he made, who would have thought he'd be so good at eating out."

Madness was laughing so hard now at her own joke that she couldn't remain upright. She was all out rolling on the floor now.

And yeah, Maka felt it. It was about all she could feel at the moment. Her brain felt like it was splitting in a million directions, most of them recoiling in disgust and shame. There was nothing she could do. Maggie was in full control of her body now and even though she was just a bystander, it did nothing to dampen the feelings coming from her body. Damien's tongue was lapping with increased force at her clit while his fingers teased her entrance. She wished she were anywhere else right now.

Tears slipped down her cheeks as her body shivered in pleasure and she clamped her eyes shut as her orgasm swept through her. Her body had truly betrayed her now and there was nothing she could do about it. Even though times were tough between them, she had always thought that Soul would be the one to take her virginity but as Damien raised himself over her and shoved his cum soaked tongue into her mouth she was realizing that wasn't going to happen. She felt like her skin was too thin, and it was cracking all over. She couldn't contain the grief, or the vulnerability that she was feeling. Nothing would ever be ok after this. She wished they had just killed her.

Soul's name escaped her on a sob and it seemed to enrage Madness.

"Soul? SOUL?! Why the ever loving fuck are you calling for that douche? Huh?"

Madness slapped Maka hard across the cheek.

"He is never coming for you. Don't you get it? He left us, HE LEFT US! We gave him everything he ever wanted. We made him a Death Scythe and he couldn't get away fast enough."

Madness was whispering in her ear now. She couldn't tell if it was Damien's teeth or Madness' tugging on her earlobe.

"Soul used you because you were stupid enough to love him. If he could see you now, he'd hate you even more. You're body reacts like a slut's and your sad, sad soul just sits here whining for him."

Madness pushed away from Maka. Maka couldn't believe that was true.

"I can't believe I was born from something so damn pathetic. Ugh, I can't stand looking at you anymore"

Madness disappeared into the darkness leaving Maka alone once more. But Maka was never really alone anymore was she? Even now, Maggie's, her own, voice drifted through her ears, making sounds of pleasure. Without the distraction of Madness, Maka was forced to live in her body completely, even though it wasn't her own anymore.

Damien could still taste Maka and it thrilled him. He didn't think it was possible for his dick to harden any further but as he took one of Maka's nipples between his teeth, it did. The combination of Maggie's reaction to him and Maka's body wasn't something he ever felt he would get tired of. He hitched her right leg high on his hip and rubbed himself over her slit, reveling in the flood that covered him. It would be easy to lose himself, but he brought himself back from the edge. There was still business to take care of.

"Has her madness taken her yet?"

Maggie had trouble focusing while his dick rested on her clit, but surveyed Maka's mental state all the same.

"It grows very strong. Already it has separated from her, soon it will consume her."

Damien's fingers traced upwards from her breast to wrap around her throat. He applied enough pressure to ensure he had her attention.

"It isn't good enough. Asura's madness was powerful enough to infect the world, we need her madness to be powerful enough to destroy it."

Maggie sucked in breath, but it wasn't enough. Spots started to dance in front of her vision. Just as she was about to pass out, Damien released her.

"I want to speak with her. Don't give her control of her limps however."

Maggie gasped in precious oxygen

"Yes sir."

It was disorienting to no longer be a third party viewer, Maka found. Damien was so close now. She still felt him all the same though, his dick resting against her, heavy and hard. She tried to get away but found that she could only move her head.

"Oh Maka. I've been dreaming of this for months. Every night, I'd grip my cock in my fist and imagine it was your sweet cunt strangling it. And now it will."

The tears started slowly, disappearing into the hair at her temples. He lined up with her opening and thrust deep.

The pain was sharp as he invaded her, but the shame cut deeper. His fingers tightened on the underside of the knee that pulled high on his ribs.

"Fuck, you are tight."

Maka flinched, tried so hard to push him away but her body wouldn't obey.

"Yeah baby, that's it. Tighten that silken pussy on my dick."

He started moving then, not slow or gentle, but hard, fast and deep. His other hand moved up to fist in her hair, tilting her head back and exposing the slender column of her throat. All the while, he kept whispering in her ear.

"Damn Maka, you are so sweet. Such a good little slut, coming on my tongue earlier. Do you feel how easily my dick fucks you? You're so fucking wet for my cock. Such an obedient whore."

She didn't know how long he violated her. The truth was she was trying very hard to be any place else. She couldn't keep her composure however, when he thrust deep and she felt his hot cum pour into her. She tried to gulp in air as she sobbed openly.

"Maggie dearest, you can come back now."

Damien felt Maka's arms wrap around him as Maggie took control again.

"Well, that was a good start."

Spring break was over a month ago and Maka and Damien were back at school. Maggie still controlled Maka and Madness was a constant companion now. Every day, Maggie took Maka's body to school and every night Damien violated her again. Madness vacillated between egging him on as he stroked and licked her to orgasm and cursing his soul as he claimed every hole she had.

She was having trouble remembering things now. Where was she? Who was that boy with the blue hair who liked to talk about himself? And why did she feel that someone very important was missing? She didn't know anymore. She loved the girl who looked like her. She laughed, she raved, and she was confusing, but Maka didn't like it when she disappeared. She was her only friend, the only one that talked to her. She was scared whenever Madness left her, she begged her to stay and so she stayed.

The truth was that Damien was a little disappointed with everything. He had thought _someone_ at the DWMA would have noticed that Maka wasn't Maka anymore, but the truth was that they were all just happy to see her smiling again. Maggie said all the right things, that the spring break trip was just what she needed and she was doing much better now. She even Maka chopped the right way. Months of studying Maka had groomed her to be the perfect copy. Not to mention that Maka's anti-madness wavelength perfectly masked the ever-growing madness within her. It's why he had chosen her. Maggie had also mastered the transition to weapon form and their resonance was way better than it had been with Maka, making them the go to team for missions.

He was also disappointed that Maka didn't fight him at night anymore. He'd even tried fucking her ass, and while the first time she fought back, he hadn't seen a reaction out of her since. Maggie's moans and begging grew tiring. He missed the fight, he missed Maka's spirit. He supposed he would just have to think of new ways to elicit a reaction from her. He had high hopes however. Their latest mission assignment would be the best shot he had at some excitement. Plus, he had a feeling it would be the last blow Maka could take before her Madness spiraled out of control. He could feel his excitement mount as he though about what Kid had told them just told them yesterday.

"Things are getting out of hand in London. Soul hasn't been as effective the last month or so. I was hoping you two would be able to go up there and lend him a hand this weekend."

Damien couldn't wait to throw the new Maka in that pointy toothed bastard's face.


	11. Chapter 11

Soul had been too pre-occupied in the last month to do his job properly. He thought he had been fucked in the head after his last meeting with Maka, but about a month ago this feeling of dread had settled in his stomach and he hadn't been able to shake it.

He had called BlueStar to make sure Maka was okay and he'd reassured him that she was better than ever. Apparently she went on some Spring Break get away with the dick hole and when she came back it was like the old Maka had returned. Soul didn't like it one bit.

Kid had told him that he would be receiving reinforcements last night, although the ass hadn't mentioned who it would be. Man was he shocked when the dick hole and Maka had showed up and kicked ass. Their resonance was strong and it tugged at his heart. It seemed that she had really moved on. He hadn't gotten a chance to talk to them before they were separated again, chasing Kishin in opposite directions. He had tried reaching out to her soul, as he did every day, thinking that her proximity might yield a different result but it didn't. He still got nothing off of her and it felt like a knife to the gut.

Currently he was sitting at an outdoor table at a pub waiting for them to make their appearance. He had left a message with the front desk for them to meet him here 10 minutes ago. He was startled out of his thoughts when he saw her. Last night all he had seen was her weapon form, but today in the day light she was gorgeous. Her hair was in its pigtails, her green eyes sparkled and her smile stole his breath. She wasn't looking at him however, she was looking to her right at the dick hole. She wore her customary jacket, skirt and combat boots. He knew she wore gloves as a Meister to help fight so he was surprised she still wore them.

That's when he noticed it. She was holding hands with her new Mesiter. Holding. Fucking. Hands. Soul felt his heart drop to his stomach. No way. The blood in his veins started boiling as she sat down across from him. Damien locked eyes with Soul as he pushed in her chair and took his own seat.

Maka had long since stopped paying attention to the things that happened around her body. It was just easier that way. Madness had stopped laughing though, and the sudden silence unnerved Maka. She tried to take stock of her surroundings but everything was too bright. She didn't like it. She liked the dark where she lived, and the laughing. Why wasn't the laughing there anymore?

She was starting to panic but then, she saw him. His white hair, red eyes, pointed teeth. She knew this man. Who was he? Why couldn't she remember? It was important, she knew him! She started thrashing in her chains, tearing her skin. Who was he? Who was he?!

Madness looked at her, afraid for some reason Maka couldn't figure out but right now she didn't care. She needed this man. He had to see her. He would save her! She knew it. What was his name?!

"Soul."

The word slipped out of her mouth without her knowing it. Her voice didn't sound familiar, it was too harsh and slightly breathy. She couldn't remember the last time she had spoken. But the more she used it, the stronger it became.

"Soul! SOUL! Help me Soul! I'm here! Can't you see me?!"

But he didn't see her. Sure, he looked at her, her body which she thought was hers but couldn't really be sure anymore. She was starting to remember. Her name was Maka, and that was Soul and he was always there for her. Madness interrupted her struggles.

"He wasn't there for us the last month. Why would he be there for us now? Don't you remember? He left us. He won't save us."

Maka didn't stop shouting his name though. Madness was wrong. Soul would save her. Soul always saved her.

Soul couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. Maka didn't seem any different but at the same time she was. They had been talking about the Kishin running roughshod over the city for the last few minutes but he just couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Maka, what the hell are you doing with this dick?"

Maka looked startled. Damien started to protest but Maka stopped him with a hand on his thigh.

"Could you give us a moment?"

Damien didn't look happy, but he lifted her hand and placed a kiss on her palm.

"I'll just be at the bar inside if you need me."

Soul was seething now with rage and jealousy. Damien walked inside the pub and Maka settled her attention on Soul.

"It's hardly your business Soul. We're over, you dissolved our partnership and have been in London for the past half a year."

"I don't mean what are you doing with him as a partner. I mean what are you doing dating that asshole?"

Maka let out a sigh and looked him in the eyes. There was something different about her eyes.

"He's been there for me. Through the injury, through you leaving, through everything. I know it's probably hard for you to see but that's the truth. You left Soul, you left and yeah, you took part of me with you. But these last few months with Damien? I've been getting that part back. I fell in love. We didn't mean for it to happen, it just did."

Soul felt his heart shattering. This couldn't be it. He wouldn't let her go. He thought she had needed space but he was wrong, he should have told Kid to fuck himself and stayed at the DWMA and made Maka see how much he loved her. He was just about to tell her when she reached over the table and took his hand.

"I loved you Soul, but you hurt me. You hurt me a whole hell of a lot. I can't do it again. Please, I know it's hard but I'm happy now. Let me be happy."

And just like that, the words died in his throat. How could he say no? All he had ever wanted was for her to be happy. He swallowed the lump in his throat and rose from his chair.

"I'll take everything north of the River Thames. Y'all take everything South. I hope you have a safe trip back to the DWMA okay?"

She stood as well and started to head inside the pub, but he had to see her face one last time.

"Maka?"

She turned around and for just one second, he thought she looked like a completely different person. There was just something so wrong about her. Then again, there was just something so wrong about all of this. He shook his head.

"I'm sorry. For everything."

And then he turned and did the hardest thing he had ever done in his miserable life. He walked away.

"NOOOOOO!" Maka had screamed for him until her voice was hoarse. He was walking away. Where was he going? He was supposed to save her! He didn't see her! How could he not see her?! She was right in front of him, calling for him, begging him and he just walked away! He abandoned her. Again.

She couldn't hold it together anymore. She split apart at the seams. She screamed, a long wordless sound of agony.

"Shhhhh. It's okay baby. I have you."

Madness stroked her hair and Maka fell silent. Madness was right. She'd always been right.

Damien was beyond pleased with himself. Last night he had fucked Maka in the same hotel that Soul slept in and he came harder than ever knowing that information. He fucking hated that cocky, pointy-toothed bastard, it made fucking his girl all the more delicious. He knew that right now Maggie was nailing the coffin in Soul and Maka's 'relationship' and it made him feel downright tingly. Sure the goal was to flood the world with so much madness that it threw it into chaos, but fucking Maka and fucking with Soul,well that was just for fun.

He felt more than heard Maggie's approach.

"Everything go well?"

Maggie laughed darkly.

"Better than well. Soul won't be bothering us again this trip, and Maka has finally snapped. The Madness has fully consumed her now and is growing exponentially. I think it'll only be a few more days before she's ready."

Damien drained his beer and turned to face her.

"Excellent."


	12. Chapter 12

Soul was torn about heading back to the DWMA. It had been a year since Asura was defeated and in that time, the world had been getting better. Sure, it was slow but the progress was being made. Without a source of madness, the Kishin were slowly being driven back to hell where they belonged. Something was pinging the madness radar recently though, a small trickle of it being reintroduced to the world. It shouldn't be possible. Asura was gone.

All Death Scythes had been called back to the DWMA to assess the 'new threat'. He wasn't quite sure what the point of that was considering that no one had even been able to pinpoint where the madness was coming from. The madness wasn't what was truly weighing on him though. It was Maka, always Maka. He couldn't get their last meeting out of his mind. There was something wrong about her in London so many weeks ago, and the more he though about it, the more wrong the whole situation felt.

He shouldn't have let her walk away. He was so mad with himself, always fucking everything up when it came to her. He was tired of it. Tired of the emptiness in his soul, tired of the emptiness in his life. Maka was the only one who had ever soothed him. Growing up, he didn't belong in his house, and he didn't really ever feel that he belonged in the classroom at the DWMA either. He had thought that he found his place killing Kishin, that that is what he had been built for. This last year in London taught him that he was wrong about that. He wasn't meant for killing Kishin, he was meant for Maka. She was his home, the only place he ever felt like he belonged and he was going to make her see that if he had to forcibly remove her from Damien's arms. They were meant to be together. He didn't care if she could never be his Meister, he just wanted to be with her.

As he stalked through the halls of the DWMA he longed for a glimpse of those green eyes. He didn't see anyone he knew though. No sign of BlackStar or Tsubaki, the rest of his old classmates were also suspiciously absent. When he arrived to the meeting, he realized that he must be late. Everyone was already gathered. Azusa Yumi and Spirit had flown in from the far east and Oceania respectively. He was surprised to see Marie who had been taking time off to play house with Stein, he couldn't even imagine what that was like. Dengu Dinga was looking tan as usual, Soul supposed it made sense considering he spent most of his time outdoors in Africa. The mass of fabric in the corner meant that Jinn Galland had also been brought in from West Asia. Soul didn't realize the threat was this serious.

Kid stepped up to the group, flanked by Liz and Patti.

"Thank you all for coming. I know it's unusual to call you all here, but I am beginning to think that this might be big. Two weeks ago, I noticed a new strand of madness. Since then, it has been increasing steadily. The rate that it is spreading is alarming enough that I suspect that it's just the tip of the iceberg."

Azusa slid her glasses higher on her nose.

"Where is it coming from?"

Kid sighed.

"We don't know exactly, but what we do know is that it is originating within the state. I have sent all available teams on recon missions to see if it is stronger in any particular place."

Stein stepped from the shadows at this point.

"We've kept Maka and Damien in Death City to search. We think this might be closer than we know and Maka's Soul Perception may be one of our greatest assets."

Soul's heart skipped a beat. She was here, close by.

Damien watched Maggie press her fingers to her temples. She was still in Maka's body and it was starting to take its toll. It was time. He had been waiting for this moment for years.

"What seems to be the problem?"

Maggie looked at him and heaved a sigh.

"It isn't really a problem. The Madness is strong, almost too strong. We've reached the limit, I've never felt anything so powerful. I can't even feel Maka anymore beneath it all. I think she may be gone altogether."

Damien smiled. It was true, the Madness had been leaking through their defenses ever since London. Seeing Soul had been enough to tip the scales in their favor and the growth had been extraordinary ever since. He'd made the right choice in Maka though. Her anti-madness wavelength had protected them, making it impossible for Stein and his Soul Perception to pick up the wavelengths being generated right under his nose.

"We're here."

Maggie's words lifted his spirits. The DWMA loomed above them, and Damien's palms started to sweat. This was going to work, Maka was the strongest Meister on the planet before he'd met her, and with the addition of her black blood and Damien's tutelage, she had become the strongest being in existence. He was confident that she was stronger than Asura had ever been.

Damien held his right hand out and Maggie effortlessly transformed into Maka's scythe. The scythe really was gorgeous in her simplicity. She was gunmetal grey with accents of black and she felt right in his hands. He lifted his head to the sky, the clouds were pitch black, obliterating the moon. The hair on his arms stood up and lightening cracked the air, their time of hiding was over. As he started resonating with Maggie, he could feel the strain she had been under trying to contain Maka's Madness. It was larger than he had even thought it would be. He tightened his grip and whispered to Maka through his connection with Maggie.

"Everything we've worked for is here my love. Time to stop hiding. Show yourself to me."

Maggie dropped the shields and let the power arc out. He felt it filling the DWMA, then the city, then the world. This was power, he felt it in his veins and through the resonance. The rain started slowly but it didn't touch them. The drops that dared to come within inches of them evaporated instantaneously in the wake of their power. He threw his head back and shouted to the Death Scythes that he knew were hiding behind their flimsy walls.

"Come get me!"


	13. Chapter 13

The air hummed and every Death Scythe was on their feet.

"Its here."

Spirit was jerking his head from side to side, as if the Madness was hiding somewhere in the room. Soul didn't wait though, he was running through the empty halls. He could feel exactly where the Madness was coming from. The Madness was overwhelming, but it was laced with something familiar. Underneath all that power, it was there, the warmth that had been missing from his soul. Maka was there, in the Madness, and he had no idea how that was possible.

He threw open the front doors of the DWMA and slid to a stop.

"No."

He said it out loud, but he couldn't deny what was right in front of him. It was Damien, holding Maka. The harder Soul looked, the less he could escape the truth. The Madness was coming from her. It brushed over him like velvet, that feeling that was uniquely Maka. He clutched his chest with his hand, his stomach pitching south. How could this have happened?

"My baby! What have you done to my little girl?"

Spirit had made it outside and was on his knees next to Soul. Soul felt the rest of the Death Scythes right behind him but he couldn't tear his eyes away from her. Stein stepped past Soul, just a fraction closer to Damien and Maka.

"I can see it now. There are two Souls inside of Maka. A witch has taken up residence inside of her, much like Medusa and that little girl."

Damien laughed.

"I would say very good Stein, but let's be honest. If you were half the Meister you should be you would have noticed it months ago. Yes, dear Maggie is inside Maka but that power? The glorious madness pouring into the world? That's all Maka. Now enough with the reunion, fight me! Show me the best this DWMA has to offer!"

With that, Damien lunged forward, swinging Maka.

"Spirit!"

Stein raced forward, grabbing Spirit and forcing him to transform along the way. He countered Damien's attack and tried to go on the offensive, but it was obvious that Spirit was fighting him. Dengu and Jinn raced past them, going on the offensive.

"Dammit Spirit, I know she's your daughter but we have to at least get her away from the boy!"

Stein tried again and this time was able to bring Spirit around in an attack. At this point Kid joined in but it became obvious that even that wasn't enough to help. Damien was holding them at bay effortlessly, not even having to dodge the attacks and instead just absorbing the energy. Soul couldn't bring himself to move. He kept seeing the flash of Stein, Kid's Death Cannon, Maka's blade dancing in the lightening and he just couldn't move. Maka, his sweet, beautiful Maka was now the largest source of Madness he had ever encountered and he couldn't fucking move. Marie placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Soul. You need to get it together. I know, it's Maka but that's why you need to fight. You have to fight for her. The healing wavelength worked with Stein and his madness because we have such a strong connection, the same kind of connection you have. Try to reach her. You have to try."

Soul looked to the ground, his eyes filling with tears.

"It's gone Marie. Our connection was severed months ago. I can't reach her anymore, I can't even remember what she felt-"

Soul jerked his head up. He could remember what she felt like, he felt it now. He was so caught up in the Madness he hadn't concentrated on the warmth that he was feeling. It was pure Maka, and if he could feel that then it meant that he could reach her. He rose to his feet and felt his arm lengthening into a scythe.

"Hey asshole!"

Damien threw Stein over his shoulder and turned to face Soul. Soul felt his anger rising. This fucking dick had his hands on Maka. He'd turned her into a weapon of Madness, he'd taken her away from him.

"Get your hands off my Meister!"

Soul launched himself towards Damien. His feet flew over the cobblestone and he leaned into the run. He was at full speed now and raised his Scythe over his head. Damien's glasses flashed as he readied Maka. Soul brought down his scythe with all his might, feeling it slide against Maka's blade as Damien countered his attack. That was okay though, Soul thought as sparks skittered down his arm, the Scythe wasn't the attack he was going for. With his left hand, he reached up and gripped the end of Maka's handle. The physical contact was exactly what he needed. He pushed his soul along the Madness wavelength, meeting it head on.

The Madness felt like barbed wire against his skin but it didn't tear him apart. He tried to block it out, thinking about all the times Maka smiled at him, the times they had been together, the way she used to look at him like she was all he needed. He pushed harder, until he felt like his soul might snap and just when he thought it was over and he was lost forever, there was calm. As he opened his eyes he had to take a few seconds to adjust to the darkness. He wouldn't have recognized it if he had to rely on his eyes but his soul was singing to him so he knew where he was. There was a tall wall in front of him, cracked but still solid and the rest was darkness. He had made it, he was in Maka's mind.

"Little lamb. Welcome to the party."

Soul turned, encountering a woman scantily clad in black. The weird eyes and curving horns told him one thing, this was the witch holding his Maka captive in her own mind. Soul felt his lips stretching into his sinister smile as anticipation skittered down his spine. He hadn't been this close to Maka in too long and this witch certainly wasn't going to stand in his way. His arm was already a Scythe and he allowed the black blood to fuel his rage. His eyes sparkled as he spoke.

"Just the cunt I was looking for."

And for the first time in a long time, Maggie felt fear.


	14. Chapter 14

Soul wasn't wasting any time as he lunged for the witch. He expected her to step away from his Scythe, instead she met it head on. She deflected his attack with her left horn. As he surged past her, she wrapped her right arm around his neck and pulled his back against her front. He felt her arm tighten against his throat as she chuckled in his ear.

"Amateur move boy. And here I though this fight would be a-"

Her words were choked off by a scream as Soul brought his Scythe arm up in between his neck and her bicep. Sure, he cut the side of his face as he did it but he didn't have time for this shit. He pushed outwards as hard as he could and cut clean through her arm. While she grasped at the blood gushing from her new stump, he ended it as quickly as he could, separating her fucked up head from her shoulders. He willed his arm back to flesh and picked up her head by one of the horns and brought it up to eye level.

"You messed with the wrong girl you venomous bitch."

The remains of the witch disintegrated as her soul lost its hold on Maka's mind. Soul looked around but there wasn't much to look at. It was unrecognizable, not looking at all the way it looked before, instead the only thing visible was this large wall coated in some sort of black tar.

"Maka!"

His shout just reverberated back to him.

"Where are you?"

He held his breath waiting for an answer.

"Hello lover."

He spun around and was able to breathe again. There she was. Her blonde hair, long legs, her eyes…wait. Her eyes were all wrong. Where there should have been green was black. There were no pupils, no irises, no whites, it was just all black.

"You're not Maka."

She waltzed up to him and trailed her hand across his chest.

"And you're observant, but not totally right. I _am_ Maka in a way though. I'm part of her, like the fish in the ocean hidden by its depths until someone pulls it to the surface. I like fish, but why can they only be red and blue?"

She started laughing. Soul was having a hard time following this conversation but he knew he had limited time. He gripped 'not Maka' by the shoulders, shaking her to gain her attention again.

"Where is the rest of her? I have to save her."

Just like that, she was dead serious and focused on him.

"Save us. You want to save us? You can't save us! There isn't anything left! Maka is dead, DEAD! YOU KILLED HER!"

She was screaming at him now, her nails digging into his scalp as she dragged his head towards hers.

"She can't be dead. I'm here, you're here and I **am** going to save her so just let me go you psycho!"

He pulled back out of her grasp and her smile returned.

"My name's not psycho it's Madness, but you can call me Ms. Madness, lover. You think there's still something left to save? Go then, take a stroll down memory lane. Don't get mad at me when you can't separate your metaphors from the literal anymore though!"

She walked to the wall and placed her hands on it, leaning in and licking it. The tar started to dissolve and after that the bricks started to crumble. Behind it, there was a hall that seemed to stretch forever. There were doors lining each side, and from behind each door there were screams, Maka's screams. Soul took one look at Madness as she seemed to be distracted by something on the ground and took off running.

He reached the first door and threw it open but he was wholly unprepared for what he saw. Maka had a spear lodged through her shoulder and fell to the ground. He rushed for her, tried to catch her but she ghosted through his arms. Then the entire scene reset and she was on her feet now, being stabbed again, screaming again, falling again.

"This is where I was born. Isn't it glorious? I think the redness of her blood is especially pretty. Red like roses not like violets. I don't like violets."

Soul paid no attention to Madness who was hovering behind him, he kept trying to reach Maka, to tear her out of this nightmare that she kept reliving.

"It's no use pretty boy. That isn't her, this is just a memory. Get it? Memory lane? I'm so funny!"

Madness grabbed him by his wrist and dragged him back into the hall, closing the door behind her. Once it was closed, the door disappeared into the wall and the hall seemed to shrink just a little bit. She crossed to the next door, dragging him into the next room.

"You have to see it Soul, you have to see it all. That's the only way you'll know the truth. I won't let you go until you live it with us. I've been so lonely since she's been gone. There's no one to play with!"

Soul had stopped listening to her. The scene in front of him was his worst nightmare. Maka was tied to a chair, being water boarded and he couldn't take it. He rushed over, tried to stab Damien in the heart but it was no use, he couldn't touch them. This is when the tears started. Had this really happened to her? His precious Maka, had they truly done this to her? He couldn't stand it, he rushed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. It too, faded into nothingness, shortening the hall ever so slightly.

"I've seen enough, take me to her. Please, I'm begging you."

Soul fisted his hands in Madness' coat, tears streaming down his face. She laughed right at him.

"You're begging me! Begging?! We begged, we begged so much but you didn't hear it, so why should I listen now?! You have to see it, all of it, it's the only way."

The screams started again, this time from the door right in front of him, and even though he knew that only despair could wait behind it, he couldn't leave her, even in her own memory. He opened the door. He thought he had known hell before but this, this was true hell. He tried to rush out of the room, but the door slammed closed.

"You can't leave! You have to watch it! WATCH!"

Madness' voice echoed against the walls and Soul slid down to his knees. In front of him he had to watch Maka, his sweet, innocent Maka, the love of his life have her virginity stripped from her. He could see it from her point of view, she was chained in her mind, weeping, screaming, unable to stop it just like him.


	15. Chapter 15

There was only one door left and Soul was empty. He felt like he had been here for years, watching violation after violation. Every time he thought he couldn't take it anymore, there was still another door in front of him. There was no way that anything would ever be the same, he was forever changed. He hated himself on the most fundamental of levels. He'd let this happen.

"You're almost done lover. You have to see it to the end. This next one is my favorite to visit. It's the last time she was here. She's been gone ever since. Go see it."

Soul rested his hand on the knob and breathed in deeply. One more. He didn't know how to do it but he knew he had to. He leaned his body weight into the door and walked in. He expected more of the worst, more rape and torture, but even that hadn't prepared him for this.

The first thing he saw was himself, sitting across from her in London. He knew this moment, but he didn't know her side. He saw her stir to life in her chains, something that hadn't happened in the last 10 memories. She called for him, she begged him, and he walked away from her.

"This is when she died Soul. You killed her. She begged, she cried for you but it didn't matter."

He couldn't do it anymore, he fell to his hands and knees and emptied the contents of his stomach. He was there, right there and he hadn't saved her. He abandoned her and he couldn't stand it. Madness walked over and grabbed him by the neck of the shirt. She dragged him out of the door and it closed slowly, disappearing. They weren't in a hallway anymore though, and Soul recognized this place. He scrambled to his feet, whirled around and there she was. She was still in the chains, her clothes dirty, dried blood around her wrists and ankles. Her eyes were open, unseeing.

"See? She's dead. Dead, dead, dead. My friend is gone, no fun to play with anymore."

Madness slapped Maka across the face and Soul lunged forward.

"No! Don't!"

Madness tsked at him.

"Fine, have it your way. I'm outie."

And she was gone, leaving Soul with Maka. He cut her down as quickly as he could and sank to the ground with her. He held her in his ams, like he had done so many times before but this was wholly and completely different. He rocked back and forth, his tears dripping on to her face. Madness was right, there was no way she had survived. He was having trouble surviving and he just watched it, he didn't live it.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Maka."

His voice broke on a sob and he just kept rocking, hunched over her. He rocked for hours, whispering to her. Telling her he loved her, that he was sorry, that he was worthless.

"Soul."

He snapped up, looking into her green eyes. His arms tightened around her.

"Maka? You're alive?"

She sat up swiftly, crawling across the floor away from him. Madness re-appeared right next to her and Maka clung to her leg. He leaned toward her and she cowered further behind Madness.

"Maka. It's me, it's Soul. Everything's going to be ok, I promise."

Maka peeked out behind Madness' leg.

"Soul?"

His heart lifted.

"Yeah, it's me."

She raised her arm and pointed at him.

"You left. You left me. You left us!"

He flinched, knowing there was no way he could deny it.

"Maka, I'm sorry-"

She whispered now.

"Get out."

He held his hand towards her.

"Maka, please. Let me-"

She stood now and threw both hands towards him.

"I said GET OUT!"

Wind accompanied her words, pushing him backwards, faster and faster until he landed, right back into his own body.

He felt like he had been in her mind forever, but it looked like only a second or two had passed in the real world. Damien loomed in front of him and Maka's handle was still in his grasp. As he landed in his body, he was shoved backwards, sliding about 10 feet away.

Damien panicked, feeling the loss of Maggie and his resonance snapped. He dropped Maka but she didn't clatter to the floor, instead she transformed to her human form. She stared directly into his eyes and though he didn't think it possible, her power grew exponentially. He could feel it, tearing at his skin, and he backed slowly away from her.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Her voice was dead, flat, lifeless but commanding at the same time. The wind picked up around her, circling like a tornado as her power crackled out of her. He tried to back up further but the wind prevented it. Instead it drew him closer to her. Her nails lengthened into claws, and she pressed her hand to his chest.

"Please, Maka. You can't do this. I made you. I gave you this power."

She smiled at him and leaned even closer.

"Yes. Yes you did make me. You pushed yourself into me, over and over, making me into this. I think it's about time I violate _your_ flesh."

She bent her fingers, her nails burrowing into the flesh of his chest, just over his heart. He tried to move but the wind held him in place.

"Does it feel good? It feels good to me, tearing into you, forcing my way in."

He had started screaming, her hand burrowed further until her fingers felt the flutter of his heart.

"You took my life from me Damien. Now, I'll take yours."

She gripped his heart harder, puncturing it with her claws until the beating stopped, then she dropped him. He fell to the ground and the wind stopped altogether. She faced the DWMA and the slack-jawed expressions of the Death Scythes. Spirit got it together first, rushing towards her with his arms open.

"Maka, my Maka, my sweet-"

She put out her hand and stopped him. He struggled against her invisible bonds but it was no use.

"That Maka is dead. I'm not the same person anymore. Good-bye Daddy."

She pushed the energy holding Spirit, throwing him backwards into the wall of the DWMA. She then slashed her arm in front of her diagonally, sending a shockwave that threw the rest of the Death Scythes after Spirit. Soul tried his best to remain conscious but it was a losing battle.

No one knew how much time had passed, but one thing was certain once the Death Scythes and Kid woke up. Maka was gone, the only proof that she had ever been there was Damien's corpse on the front steps.


	16. Chapter 16

The light streaming in from the window is what finally woke Soul up. He felt like shit, which meant it was a pretty typical morning these days. He sat up and put both feet flat on the floor, lowering his throbbing head into his hands. His long white hair flopped through his fingers in front of his eyes as he closed them against the harsh noon day sun. He picked up the bottle of Jack off the night stand and brought it to his lips only to find that it was empty. Without opening his eyes, he chucked it behind him into the garbage can across the room. It was time to move, he had been in Wyoming for too long, she wasn't here.

He stood clad only in boxer briefs and lumbered into the bathroom, hitting his head on the door frame on his way in.

"Fuck."

Stupid backwater motels with their stupid small doors. He was a big motherfucker now, topping out at 6 foot 5. Maka had always told him that he was just late in getting his growth spurt and she had been right. She was always right. He looked himself in the mirror, wondering if she would even recognize him now. He supposed she would, he still had all the defining characteristics. His snow white hair still spiked in every direction, it was a pain in the fucking ass but every time he went to cut it off he remembered the feeling of her hands running through it when they watched TV and he just couldn't do it. His red eyes peered back at him, bloodshot after a long night of drinking away his misery and his sharp teeth still lurked behind the grim line of his mouth. His jaw had changed though, widening and losing the softness that it held in adolescence.

The scar from that night still stood out on the right side of his face though, a long white line from his own Scythe that started at his cheekbone and carved through the outside of his eyebrow. The scar taunted him every time he looked in the mirror, reminding him of how much he had failed her. He flipped on the water and splashed some on his face to wake himself up. Pretty soon the cleaning staff would be banging down his door and he'd rather not talk to anyone at the moment. To be honest, he'd rather not talk to anyone ever.

After his shower, he slipped on the only clothes he had left that were marginally clean, black jeans and a red v-neck t-shirt. He threw his black leather motorcycle jacket over it and stuffed his feet into his black shit-kickers. Pulling his ray-bans over his eyes, he grabbed his bag and headed out into the warm afternoon. The pavement was hot as hell as he crossed the parking lot towards his baby. He strapped his bag to the back of his Harley Sportster Custom before heading to the front office.

"Hey, aren't you that guy? That Death Scythe from the DWMA?"

The woman behind the counter had seen better days, a cigarette hung from between wrinkled lips coated in uneven red lipstick and her drooping cleavage spilled across the top of the reception counter, but her eyes were sharp as she looked at him. It was rare that someone recognized him nowadays, but it still happened occasionally.

"Not anymore."

Soul dropped his key on the counter along with two hundred dollar bills and strode out of the office. It had been 10 years since he last saw the DWMA, a decade since he had seen Maka. When she disappeared the DWMA became a gruesome place. Maka was the largest source of Madness since Asura and everyone had a different opinion on just how to handle that. The majority of the Death Scythes ended up being in agreement though, Maka had to be stopped and that meant one of two things, death or imprisonment. It was a hard pill to swallow, Maka had been a hero and a friend to many but the truth remained that she was poisoning the world and the needs of the greater outweighed the wants of the few. Some people left, the obvious being Spirit who refused to hunt his daughter. He had been a mess for the last decade, spending more time in a bottle than out of it but surprisingly hadn't been seen near a woman since Maka's disappearance. It was like her opinion suddenly started to matter to him now that she was gone. ' _Too little too late old man'_. The more surprising departure was that of Stein and Marie, Soul still wasn't quite sure why they left, the only thing Marie would say on the matter was that they believed in the value of a person over their madness.

Blackstar, Tsubaki, Liz and Patty all stayed which Soul still found disappointing. They used to be so close, he thought they would have fought a bit harder for Maka. Soul had been on his own for 10 years now, never once settling down, always searching for her. A substantial bribe got him an in at the passport office and he found out that she had never used hers, which meant that she was still in the continental US. He spent the first year visiting everywhere that he knew Maka had been before, but he had been unable to find her. For the last 9 years, his searches were more random leads that never panned out. She was good at hiding. He made cash any way he could, usually by being hired muscle. It varied what that hired muscle was for and most of it wasn't nearly legal, but he took the cash where he could make it and then searched for as long as his wallet was flush.

No one was surprised when Soul left, but that didn't deter them from trying to stop him. They told him that she had changed, that there was no way the old Maka could still be in there, that too much time had passed for there to be any hope but he didn't care. He hoped every day that she was still in there, fighting her madness but the truth was that even if she wasn't he was still going to find her and spend the rest of his days with her, protecting her. He had let her go once and he sure as hell wasn't going to let her go again. The idea of Maka killed or imprisoned? Over his dead body.


	17. Chapter 17

Soul was breaking every traffic law imaginable and he did not give a fuck. It had been years since he had hope and he was having trouble containing himself. He'd gotten the call 11 hours ago and had been driving ever since. He couldn't help the smile that stretched across his face as anticipation and fear warred for dominance in his heart when he remembered BlackStar's call.

"Hey man, it's uh… it's BlackStar"

Soul almost fell off his bike in shock. Not only had he not heard from the man after their big blow out years ago, but hearing BlackStar sound unsure of himself was just plain bizarre.

"I know it's been a long time and I know you haven't been my biggest fan after the whole…yeah."

Soul grit his teeth as he remembered that day. He had thought for sure BlackStar and Tsubaki would have left the DWMA after Kid put the dead or alive warrant on Maka's head, but they didn't. They hadn't even put up a single protest. Soul had visited their apartment later that night before taking off and handed BlackStar's ass to him. Soul couldn't help but feel that BlackStar had let him though, his side of the fight had been uncharacteristically tame.

"What do you want BlackStar?"

There was hesitation before BlackStar continued.

"We found her. Maka."

Soul's stomach pitched. If they had found her it meant that she was either in prison or…he couldn't even think it.

"Is she..?"

"No, we haven't gone after her yet. We got a tip of some serious Kishin activity near Clyde, North Dakota. It's her, her madness draws the Kishin and she keeps them away from the border of the town but a traveling family got caught in the crossfire. She healed their son and they caught a glimpse of her face. It's definitely her. They called in for the reward this morning. Kid is putting together a task force, mostly Death Scythes. They're leaving tomorrow which gives you about a 16 hour head start."

Soul sagged in relief against the side of his bike. She was alive, and now he knew where. That far north would be about a 12 hour drive which would give him another 4 hours to find her and get the hell out of there. It was doable, no it was more than doable, it was perfect.

"Not that I don't appreciate it man, but I can't help but wonder why you're giving me the warning?"

BlackStar sighed heavily before continuing.

"10 years ago, after seeing what she could do, it was scary ya know? Not that a god like me could get scared but that was a different level man. 10 years is a long time though, enough time for all of us to change. She's been out there for 10 years and the world hasn't ended. And this story about her defending a town, healing a civilian? Just doesn't seem right to hunt her down because she helped a kid. At the end of the day though, the DWMA is home and what we do here, it's for the good of the entire world, so the best I can do is this."

Soul could get that. He could see staying loyal to your home, your roots. It just so happened that his home wasn't a building or the DWMA, it was Maka.

"Thanks man."

Soul hung up and stashed his phone, then he started to drive. He drove without eating or sleeping, only stopping for gas, hoping that Kid didn't up their timeline.

Maka was exhausted and it seemed like no matter how many Kishin she killed, there were always more. She knew why of course, her madness called to them which meant she was going to need to push her resonance harder, further out. As it was, she was already covering a mile in every direction. When she first left the DWMA, her madness was out of control, she spent months just trying to hide it and cope but it didn't work. Her soul stretched, always reaching for more madness and she began to notice something interesting. Her soul always reached for the madness in other human souls, but seemed to shy away from the souls of animals.

She spent a long time thinking about that, and testing the souls of the wildlife around her. At first it was tentative, she would just brush their souls but as the madness built she needed a real solution. She tried first with a nearby wolf, his soul was strong and pure. Animal souls held no malice or madness, only human souls could sway towards the side of evil. She connected to him, tried to establish a resonance and was successful. It was very low level, not nearly the same as resonating with a human but the desired effect was there, and the purity of the animal soul was filtering out some of her madness.

Her madness continued to grow however, and soon just resonating with the wolf wasn't enough. She began to add animals, stretching her soul across hundreds of animals and maintaining a low level resonance with all of them. Most days the feedback was overwhelming, but it was the only way she could survive and not give herself over to the madness. She had lived this way for 10 years and every day took just a little bit more of her. She accepted it though, this was her punishment. She used to be Maka Albarn, protector of the world and now she was doing everything possible to avoid being the destroyer of it but the truth was that she was just so tired. She was tired of the constant effort of maintaining this level of resonance, she was tired of killing Kishin, and she was tired of hiding. She knew that family had called the DWMA, she wasn't stupid, but the truth was that she wasn't even sure it mattered anymore.

Maybe she deserved to die, because the truth was that living was almost impossible. She was scared of herself, scared of what would happen if she lost it, how many people would die before she gained control again? Hundreds? Thousands? Millions? The truth was that she could end every single life on this planet and she was close to her breaking point. Even now she was disgusted with herself, that she was too much of a coward to end it herself. She couldn't let them take her, she was almost certain that there wasn't a cell that could hold her. It was better to let them come, let them kill her.

Her mind was made up, it was time to give in and end it. Too bad she didn't know that at that moment, 7 miles to the west, a devil was riding into town on the back of a Harley.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: I'm sorry that I have been gone for so long. This is the hardest part of any story, you see. Much like life, it's easy to inflict wounds, to tear things and relationships apart but much, much harder still to try to put them back together. I found this chapter especially hard to write. Things will be better from now on, but perhaps not as perfect as we all wish it could be.

Soul had been walking through the woods for 2 hours, holding a crude map and a compass. Fucking backwards ass town didn't even have cell reception which made this the only way he had of telling that he was going in the right direction. He was about to pack it in when he saw the cabin. It had seen better days but there it was, standing exactly where the old woman in town said it would be. It was small, one-story and looked to only have about one room inside of it. There was a small porch in the front with a single rocking chair. As he got closer, Soul could make out a woman sitting in the rocking chair and he froze. She was here, right in front of him, maybe 50 feet away. She looked older. Her dirty blonde hair fell long, almost to her waist and she had filled out her frame nicely. A white blouse clung to her chest, which was still small, but definitely present. Jean encased her still long legs, ending above delicate bare feet. While her frame had changed minutely, it was her face that told her real story.

Her green eyes were dull, fine lines creased between brows that slashed harshly above her eyes. Her cheekbones carved ridges above hollowed cheeks and her red lips emphasized her pale skin. She held a delicate hand up in front of her face and seemed entranced by a ladybug walking across her index finger. Soul ventured closer but her voice stopped him before he reached the porch.

"I suppose it makes sense that they would send you. The person that the old Maka would be least likely to kill."

Her eyes never moved, her hand twisting so she could see the ladybug as it crossed to the inside of her hand. Soul felt his eyes fill but he let none of it show. He had searched for her for so long and now here she was, as beautiful as he remembered, if a little different.

"You'd be wrong on more than one account. I imagine I might be the one you'd want to kill the most."

He climbed the stairs on her porch and leaned a hip against the rail before continuing.

"Plus, I left the DWMA over a decade ago."

He watched for any sign of surprise on her face but she remained stubbornly blank.

"I missed you Maka."

That got a reaction, her mouth tightened slightly. The ladybug suddenly flew up and away from her, her eyes followed but stopped as they reached Soul. He had changed, a lot. He was well over 6 feet now, his shoulders much broader to accommodate his height. It looked like he had put on at least 75 pounds, all of it being muscle. Even his face was different in subtle ways. His jaw had thickened, creating the sharp angle that it lacked in his youth. The scar that held prominence on his face made him look even more menacing, which she hadn't realized was possible considering his sharpened teeth. His eyes though, they were still the same, still red as wine and deep as the ocean. The warmth was still there, but now they also held pain. She couldn't hold his gaze for too long, it felt like it ripped deep into her soul. She dropped her eyes to his shoes, old black shitkickers, suspiciously like the ones she used to wear. The silence stretched, became unbearable and so she said the first thing that came to her mind.

"I told you that you'd grow into your feet one day."

Soul couldn't stand it anymore, the distance between them. He slid to his knees in front of her and buried his head in her lap. His arms wound themselves around her calves. Neither of them said anything, he just stayed there, basking in her warmth.

Maka knew that this wasn't real, Soul and her had no happy endings, this was not the meaningful reuniting of long lost lovers, and their past wasn't filled with joyful memories, but she couldn't stop herself from giving in. She would be dying sometime soon, at the hands of those that she used to call friends, and the truth was that beneath all the pain and scars this man had left with her, he was still the greatest love of her life. Her hand came to rest in his hair and she let her fingers idle with his locks. She felt him draw in a great breath before letting it out in a broken wave.

She imagined that the Maka she once was would have felt something profound in this moment, wept at the perfection of it, cried at the unfairness of the world that Soul would make it back to her right before her death, but the truth was that she wasn't that girl anymore. Instead she felt numb. She stared at the sun as it made its way across the sky, as it dipped below the trees and she found it odd that even as the minutes passed, as they joined together to become an hour, that still neither of them moved.


	19. Chapter 19

"We have to go."

Soul was the first to break the silence. He lifted his head and peered up into Maka's eyes.

"The DWMA know where you are. We have to go before they get here."

Maka broke eye contact and stared out towards the horizon.

"I know they are coming."

Soul rocked back on to his heels, surprised by this development. If she knew they were coming, was she planning to fight? He'd stand with her but it would be difficult to injure, possibly kill so many of those they used to call friends.

"I know you're powerful Maka, but do you really think you can stop the entire DWMA?"

Maka let out a sharp laugh, surprising herself. She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed but once it started, she couldn't stop it. It was less from amusement, tinged with an edge of hysteria.

"Stop them? Soul, I could level them. I could devour their souls before they had a chance to transform, steal their lives in a heartbeat."

Soul raised his hand to her cheek.

"Maka, you may have gotten stronger but they have too."

Maka stood suddenly, causing Soul to fall backwards, sprawled on the front porch. She stepped over him, gliding down the stairs until she was about 10 feet away from the cabin. Soul scrambled to his feet and tried to go after her but found he couldn't move. His body was no longer listening to him, his feet were rooted to the top step of the porch, his arms tense against invisible bonds. He couldn't even blink. Clouds rushed over the once clear sky and the wind picked up in intensity. All sounds of nature fled back to the woods as lightening cracked through the atmosphere.

"Stronger? You think I have only gotten stronger? You have no idea of the power I have, it's tearing my skin apart. It rushes through my veins, burning in rivers, looking for a way out. It fills my mouth and seeps through my nose and screams through my ears until I can't sleep, or think or breathe. It needs to be let out into the world, but that's the problem isn't it? I can't even let one small sliver of it out because that would mean the Madness would spread and it would eat into the hearts of humans leaving nothing but Kishin. Do you think that doesn't tempt me? Do you think part of me doesn't wish for that? A world of Kishin and I would rule them all. I would be free, no more DWMA breathing down my neck, no more living in this godforsaken hellhole, no more hiding."

Soul's heart was pounding and his hands tensed as he tried to form fists. She was changing right in front of him and he couldn't help her. The wind carried her hair away from her face, her green eyes now glowing. Her bare feet were inches above the ground, he wasn't even sure she realized that she was floating. It scared him but not for the reason that any sane human would be scared in this instant. He didn't care if she hurt him, he didn't care if she killed him because his life was hers anyway. No, he wasn't afraid for himself, he was terrified for her. She was changing again, the same way she did right before she killed Damien and it took him 10 long years to find her after that. She could disappear again and he would be here, rooted to this fucking spot until she decided to let him go.

The grass started to wilt, losing it vibrancy until there was nothing but blackened charred earth beneath her. Soul looked inwards, towards his soul. There it was, woven around his soul, it was faint, a barely visible golden thread that he recognized as Maka pinning his soul in place. He began to slowly disentangle it, with each strand he loosened, he could feel his body coming back to him. It shocked him that he was able to disengage himself so quickly but as he came back to himself he noticed that she wasn't focused on him anymore. Her head was thrown back, arms spread wide to the heavens as the woods around them continued to die. The ring of scorched decay now spread to be about 100 feet in diameter and continued to grow.

The wind made it almost impossible to stand up straight, but Soul pushed on, closing the distance between himself and Maka. He was about 5 feet away when a particularly strong gust knocked him sideways. He transformed his arm into a scythe and planted it in the ground, keeping his position. He muscled his way closer and once he was within 3 feet, everything stopped. There was no more wind, no lightening cracks or howling, just silence and her. She looked peaceful, serene even, the eye of the storm. She still hovered a few inches above the ground but that only brought her to about shoulder height on him, her hair floated above her, her green, green eyes staring at the sky. The storm continued to rage outside of this safe bubble but Soul didn't see anything else in this moment.

As he got closer, he was finally able to make out the details of her face, her red mouth slightly parted as she took shallow breaths, her blouse clinging and rippling with unfelt wind, her palms stretched out and upwards as if she was waiting for something. He reached up and cradled her face, tilting it down to look upwards at him. Her face and body may have been relaxed but her eyes told a different story. Tears trailed freely and they pleaded with him for something, he wasn't sure what. He felt a tear slip down his cheek as he closed the space between their lips. The kiss was innocent, chaste, maybe the kind that they once would have shared in their youth. It felt full of regret, and missed opportunity but he put everything he had into it. He poured himself into the kiss, his guilt, his frustration and his love, praying it would reach her. He pulled back slightly and leaned his forehead down to hers.

"Come back. Come back to me."

As he whispered those words across her cheek, her eyes closed. She lowered her arms as she drifted back to the ground. Soul had to wrap his arms around her waist to keep her upright and she laid her head on his chest, all the energy leaving her. As she exhaled, the clouds retreated and the orange glow of sunset returned. Her hands came to rest lightly on his back.

"Now you see, don't you? I'm dangerous and only getting more powerful. It's time to let the DWMA find me. It's time to let them end me."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing, let them end her? Over his dead body. He just found her and there was no way he was letting her go now. He tried to pull back, to look into her eyes and shake some sense into her but she just tightened her arms around him and buried her face deeper into his chest.

"It's okay Soul. I've borrowed too much time. I was lost long ago. This is just a shell now, it has been for 10 years and it's time to let it go. It's my time now. My time to die."


	20. Chapter 20

Soul gripped her by the shoulders, pulling back far enough to look her in the eye.

"It's not going to happen. I just got you back and I won't let them have you. You belong to me Maka, the way I belong to you and I'm never going to let you forget it again."

The sounds of hands coming together broke the silence. Soul jerked back form Maka and whirled to face the intrusion. Kid strode into the clearing, pistols in both of his hands flanked by the three newest Death Scythes that had replaced the 'deserters' of 10 years ago. Soul had never met any of them personally but he kept current with the news so he immediately recognized them. Pearl Pettiford came from Europe, her Irish accent and petite frame captivating the public almost as her deadly chakram form. Muhammed Abadi flew under the radar most times, the only concrete information known about him was that his weapon form was that of a barbed whip. Lastly, Kim Sung Min came into the clearing, clapping slowly. He was known for a wit as sharp as his saingeom sword form. He spoke first.

"This is just touching. You want her dead or alive boss?"

Soul pushed his way in front of Maka, both his arms lengthening into scythes. Sure, these were Death Scythes, but he was the most powerful Death Scythe still living and better yet, he had everything to fight for.

Kid flipped his pistols backwards, assuming his fighting stance before speaking.

"I'd prefer alive, but incapacitated."

Maka placed her slim hand in the center of Soul's spine, sliding it around his ribs as she crossed in front of him. He tried to stop her but his feet were rooted to the ground again. He growled out a low warning.

"Maka, this whole paralyzing thing you got going is getting real fucking old."

She turned her head back to look at him and lifted the corner of her mouth in a smile. It felt foreign, she had no idea when the last time she smiled was. She supposed Soul could still drag it out of her, but she hadn't realized she was still capable of it. She turned to face Kid and his new army.

"I'm afraid I will not allow you to take me alive Shinigami. You'll have to end me here, or I will end you and all those humans you safe guard."

Pearl snapped her gum.

"Guess that means we're killin' her boys. I want her soul."

Muhammed pulled the balaclava from around his neck up over his nose and mouth before speaking lowly. His voice sounded like gravel being churned through a meat grinder.

"What about the Death Scythe?"

Kid's eyes narrowed as he assessed Soul's face. Soul wouldn't let them kill Maka, he'd stake his life on that fact, not without a fight. He didn't want to hurt him, but Maka had to be eliminated, at any cost.

"Soul Eater Evans. You have seen what she is capable of, even within the last few minutes. You must know that she cannot be allowed freedom over this world, she could destroy us all."

Soul ground his teeth together.

"She's welcome to destroy me whenever she wants. I am hers."

Maka's eyes widened slightly with shock and she turned to look at him.

Kid tried again.

"She could end the world Soul. The threat must be eliminated, and if that means eliminating you too, then we will do what we must."

Soul broke Maka's control, quite easily this time. As he had done it once, he actually found it quite easy this time. She started, surprised again. He pushed past her, facing Kid head on.

"Without her I have no world. If you actually succeed in capturing her or killing her, I'll never stop. I'll hunt you forever until you are forced to end me too. She dies, I die, that's the way it is."

"Done."

Kim Sung Min had worked his way to a stealth attack position from the side and slid his sword cleanly through Soul's thigh. He ripped it out aggressively, dropping Soul to a knee and bringing his neck perilously close to Sung Min's other blade which now rested below Soul's chin. As Sung Min pulled back to deliver a death blow, Maka felt something she hadn't felt in over 10 years, panic.

She had wanted to die, she had wanted to sacrifice herself for the good of the world, to pay for her sins the only way she still could, but as she watched the blade inch closer to Soul's neck, she couldn't let it happen. She couldn't let him die. Part of the reason she was comfortable ending her own life was because she would be making the world safer for him and she hadn't realized that until this moment. She shook with the force of her emotions, she hadn't felt anything in so long she had no idea how to deal with them.

She let them flow over her and arc out, sharp and hot.

"STOP!"

And everything did. Kim Sung Min stopped, Kid and the rest of his death scythes stopped, the breeze and the insects and the birds, everything. Everything stopped, everything except Soul and Maka. Soul pushed to his feet and crossed his arms, seemingly oblivious to the gaping wood in his leg.

"I totally had that you know. Fucking teenager wasn't going to get the best of me."

Maka lowered her gaze to the blood seeping down his leg and raised her eyebrow. Soul pulled a bandana out of his back pocket and tied it tight around the gash.

"Whatever, punk caught me off guard is all. Can we get going now?"

Maka huffed out a sigh.

"I told you what I wanted. Stop getting in the way."

Soul pushed into her personal space, leaning down to put them nose to nose.

"Get used to it babe. I meant what I said, if you die, I die. Now I'm cool with that. Are you?"

Maka held her ground and Soul couldn't hold back his grin as he saw life in her eyes for the first time. They sparked green at him, seething with emotion, causing his grin to turn into a full-blown smile. Maka's jaws ground together as Soul bared his pointed teeth at her and she barely kept her irritation in check. He knew the moment he had her, but he wasn't going to push her as far as to make her say it.

He turned on his heel and strode in the direction of his abandoned motorcycle.

"C'mon babe, I don't have all day."

Maka rolled her eyes and snapped back at him.

"I need shoes."

She headed for her tennis shoes on the porch, exerting almost no power to keep the intruders in place. She could feel them struggling, but to Maka it was only annoying, not a real threat. After lacing her shoes, she strode to the edge of the woods where Soul held his hand out to her. She snorted at him as she passed him, pointedly ignoring his hand.

He sighed, shoving it into his pocket but in truth, he wasn't even bothered that she didn't take his hand. She was coming with him, and he wasn't going to let her get away again.


	21. Chapter 21

By the time he felt comfortable enough to stop, Soul was thoroughly exhausted. Maka reassured him that she didn't release the DWMA squad until they had put at least 650 miles between them and Soul had contented himself with images of the mighty Shinigami pissing his pants from having been frozen for over 8 hours. They'd crossed the border on an unknown back road and were now in the middle of bumfuck Canada and some rundown motel called the 'Roaming Beaver'. Soul for the life of him couldn't figure out who the hell would name a motel something so ridiculous, but they took cash and they didn't ask your name, which made it perfect no matter what it was named.

The room could be described as 'threadbare' or 'out of date' at best. The lack of comforter meant that the only blankets each of the full size beds had were dingy, off-white sheets covered with the scratchy brown blankets. Maka sank on to the furthest of the two twin beds and leaned her elbows on her knees. After drawing the curtains and dropping his bag on the bed, Soul caught the hem of his shirt with his fingers and puled it over his head. He saw Maka's head whip up and her eyes widen as she took in the expanse of his chest. Satisfaction bloomed warmly in him as he watched her eyes traveled from his face down his shoulders, across his six pack abs and landed on his hand which were now unbuttoning his low slung jeans.

He could barely hold back his mug grin as her pupils dilated and her breathing came shallow. Sure, he was flexing but even without flexing Soul knew he was one cut motherfucker. Soul had filed out his height and you didn't work in his line of work without picking up some serious strength. Often the difference between a peaceful resolution and a knock-down brawl was how intimidating you could look. Sure, Soul knew that his blood red eyes and sharp teeth helped, but filling out his six foot plus frame usually sealed the deal. What that translated to was wide shoulders, curved biceps and a hard V over his hipbones that wrapped a package that he knew the ladies liked. While his love for Maka remained strong, ten years is a long time and he wasn't a virgin by any stretch of the imagination, although a woman never graced his bed for more than 2 hours and never more than once.

"What are you doing?" Maka managed to squeak out as his strong hands lowered the zipper on his jeans.

She was proud of herself that she was able to get out a whole sentence, because her brain seemed to have stopped functioning completely the second Soul shed his shirt. His skin was lightly tanned and smooth. There was a line of faint hair that started at the bottom of his navel and disappeared into what she now could see were black boxer briefs. As his jeans slid down his muscular thighs, she noted just how short they were and what a poor job they were doing leaving anything to the imagination. She knew she should look away, but she couldn't. Standing in front of her was every wet dream she had ever had.

"I need to clean this wound and dress it, not to mention put on some clean clothes since these are covered in blood. Why? See something you like?"

Soul's voice finally broke the spell, and she snapped her eyes to his. They crinkled slightly at the corners in amusement, riling her anger.

"You wish." Maka turned her head away from him towards the bathroom, so she didn't see him until it was too late.

He had crossed the room and pushed his face close to hers, forcing her to jerk back. He kept leaning closer, slowly but forcefully, causing her to recline all the way back on the bed until she could feel it beneath her back. His uninjured leg forced its way between her thighs, kneeling on the edge of the bed until it pressed firmly against the juncture between her legs. His hands landed on the comforter, his elbows bending as he lowered himself down on top of her, not giving her his weight, but close enough hat she could feel the heat of him through her thin shirt. Her breath caught in her lungs and her hands reached automatically to his shoulders, not to push him away but to curl lightly of the top. He lowered his head, placing his lips against the shell of her ear and whispered

"You're right Maka. I DO wish."

Then just as suddenly as he was on top of her, he was gone, disappearing into the bathroom and Maka felt something she hadn't felt in over 10 years, desire. Her hands trembled as she pushed herself upright and the breath she had been holding rushed out of her on a whispered word.

"Fuck."


End file.
